Hemlock on a Rock

My wife, Sue, and I decided that we wanted a hemlock hedge. We decided to plant it together. She would point to the ground and say, “Dig,” and I would dig. Finally, we had the hedge all planted and sat back to watch it grow. All the plantings grew except one. Our attention focused on the one which did not grow We weren’t concerned about the others as much as we were about the one that didn’t grow.

Finally, my wife said that we better dig it up because there must be a rock under it. So we did. I got my shovel and Sue showed me where to dig. I dug. Sure enough, there was a rock there. We removed the rock, replanted that hemlock, and she grew perfectly. Her roots had room to grow.

Let’s examine ourselves. Are we leaving enough room for our roots to grow? Do we know anyone with rocks under their feet (roots)? Yes, we all do, and we can help them. If we just let them know that we are Christians and act the way God wants Christians to act. Perhaps, a good example by us may bring them closer to God.

By the way, those hemlock were seedlings which we found in the woods. I didn’t have much faith in them, but my wife did. She showed them love and they grew into a beautiful hedge.

And that’s all God really wants us to do - to love Him and each other. “For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” I John 3:11.

—Jim Durdan, The Storrs Steward, August 15,1976

Note: In reading through our past bulletins, I came across several good articles by Jim. This was his first one, written two years after he was baptized. It is a good parable for this congregation’s twenty-fifth year as we examine our roots and look to the future. —Tom Yoakum

Note 2: The above, including the note, appeared in our bulletin on October 4, 1998, commemorating the congregation’s 25th anniversary.