Emotional Peeling…Like A Tree

Taking a Drive 

As I was driving through town one cold winter day, I saw the most striking tree amidst the background of a gorgeous blue sky. Mind you, this is winter and trees are in hibernation. No leaves, no flowers, no fruit. Hardly what one would call beautiful!  

So what made this particular tree so awe inspiring? The branches and trunk were peeling which revealed a stark white tree underneath!  The pure white against the azure blue sky was absolutely stunning. 

I began to wonder what kind of tree it was, why it was peeling, and why the trunk and branches were white. My internet searching showed it to be the American Sycamore tree and that it peels every winter. The tree was very tall with branches spread wide. The remaining bark was dark gray yet the bark underneath was fresh and white. 

The Tree Bark

When I saw the tree I thought of how it represents us. The tree is naturally covered with bark, which is the protective layer. The bark protects the tree from disease and pests. It is a necessary part for the tree’s survival. We are like this tree in that we cover ourselves with a protective layer. For the tree, it is a good thing. For us, not so good.

Our Bark: Two Ways

Let’s apply this bark to our lives in two ways: the protective layer and the junk layer.

The protective layer is a shield that we put into place to keep us from getting hurt. Ouch. We’ve all been there. If you’ve ever been hurt by another person, you likely created a shell, or armor as my husband says, ensuring no one hurts you. Ever. The result is actually hurting other people in the process and you may have not realized it. I know. I have been there. I remember that feeling of being so raw and broken inside. I did not trust people. I lived in fear of someone hurting me in the same ways that brought me to that point. However, in my venture to protect myself, I began to close out my friends and family, projecting my hurt onto them. Reject them before they reject you…ugh. It became hard for me to even let God in to heal me, to change me. Not a good place to be. How can we be the person God created us to be when we are rock hard inside and out?

Maybe your bark is something a little different. I’ll call it the junk layer. Maybe it is sin in your life, dirty layers of habits or ways of life, poor decisions that haunt you to this day. These things prevent you from being the best version of yourself. They get in the way of your own relationship with God. It is difficult to be all that God intended for you when you're covered in layers of grime.

No One Sees It

Then I thought of God and His incredible plan for us. God knows we are covered in the protective layers and/or the junk layers. He wants to peel us just like that American Sycamore tree leaving us fresh and clean. So I have a question for you. When you find yourself in either one of these places of “barkiness,” do you feel invisible?  Do you wonder if God sees you?  Or if God sees the bark? Ok, that’s three questions! The answer is yes. He does. God is Jehovah El Roi, the God who sees. If we dive into the Old Testament, Hagar, (Sarai’s slave), was pregnant by Abram, (Sarai’s idea). Sarai became jealous of Hagar and mistreated her, forcing Hagar to leave. So Hagar is pregnant with Ishmael, homeless, wandering through the desert, looking for a new place to start her life over when the angel of the Lord found her. The angel of the Lord shared his message that the Lord sees her misery and what would become of Ishmael.

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13 NIV

Hagar felt seen by God. She knew He was there at her lowest point. Just like Hagar, God sees you in your point of misery. He knows what brought you there. He knows how you have responded. He knows you inside and out. He knows how you will get out of it. He knows what you can become.

The Protective Bark

Let’s get back to those two barky layers mentioned above and dig a little deeper. When we have the protective layer surrounding our soul, we push people away. As I stated above, reject them before they reject you. So how do you develop deep and meaningful relationships with people? How do you connect with your spouse? Honestly, you can’t. Connecting with people you can trust is vital in your daily life, in your walk with God. 

 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 NIV

We need people in our lives to counsel us, walk alongside us, live life with. Together, we can challenge each other, laugh out loud, even cry with. I challenge you to let those protective walls down, let the Lord heal you, trust that He will care for you in all seasons because He sees you and knows you. He is Jehovah El Roi.

The Junk Bark

We have to talk about the bark that is the dirt because it interferes in all of our relationships, especially with your spouse. It is the ugly stuff. The sin in our lives that we can’t seem to let go. Yeah, that stuff. That stuff that God hates. That stuff that He wants to take from us. 

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

When we allow God to truly be our Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness, we are made as white as the American Sycamore tree, clean and new. Can we let those layers go? Can we let Him refresh us? That is what God wants to do for us, if we let Him. It is not easy but…

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 NIV

The Challenge

Can we trust Him enough to let the old ways, protective armor, sinful choices peel away, and fall to the ground? Just like the American Sycamore tree doesn’t peel in its entirety all at once, it would be near impossible to make all the changes, and let the Lord change you all at once. But can you submit to Him and let God show you the first thing to let go of? Over time He will show you another thing, then another. All the while, you are peeling like the American Sycamore tree revealing what was there the whole time, growth, strength, internal beauty.

Let’s be like that beautiful tree and be white as snow because of Jesus' love for us! Let’s take that first step in becoming all that God has called us to be.