The Oak In My Front Yard

A few years ago for Arbor day a mushroomed haired fifth grader wrote a poem that was published in the local newspaper. The poem titled “The Oak In My Front Yard,” penned in a cafeteria lunchroom, caught some attention for the yearly observance because of its elevation of nature. But like most poems, the real meaning wasn’t that obvious.

“The oak in my front yard
has seen more years than I
I look up at the old and withered tree,
and it tells me
stories of when it was young and strong.
Those stories tell what the earth
was like a 100 years ago.

All trees have stories
So stop cutting them down
and listen in,
to the history of our world.”

Yes you could say that the deeper meaning can be found in John 19 where Jesus says that if man remains silent the rocks will cry out to praise God. Which is true, but this came from a fifth grade boy that had little understanding of this passage. Where his heart was coming from was an eternal longing that all little boys and girls are given by God. Its the longing to look up to someone older, to learn from and feed off of. This 100 year old tree was not the oak in his front yard, it was the wisdom of his elders that he longed for. This boy was hitting on this idea of the Oaks of Righteousness found in Isaiah 61.

“ They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.”

This is a people being transformed by the Salvation of Jesus that go out and set things right by bringing structure and order. They build into their surroundings, not abandon it. For generations we have left the youth to fend for themselves, excusing ourselves from the table and bowing out from engaging the youth. With that we took our wisdom, our failures (stories of redemption built in with warnings) and our support with us. Leaving this generation of youth to fend for themselves without defense, wisdom or any kind of context on how to live. This fifth grader with his poem knew the value of wisdom that could only be found in others. The responsibility to initiate lays upon the adults. We can be a backbone for students struggling through life. God has made the church intergenerational by design. It doesn’t work unless we our reaching out to others and walking with them through life because that is the true meaning of discipleship. You can help someone blossom and it can start today.