Shade trees.  Aren’t they the best? 

On my morning prayer walk today, I found myself being very thankful for shade trees.  In a valley scooped out of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the heat and humidity in the month of August can be draining.  Morning temps are cooler, but the humidity is 75 – 95%.  It’s just plain hot.

So, I noticed that I intentionally gravitate to paths where shade trees grow near the road.  I promise you, the temperature is ten degrees cooler near those trees!  If I see a shade tree on the other side of the road, I’ll cross over to that side just to walk under the shade for a few steps.  One stretch of road provides a full 70 paces of shade!  Ahhhh.

I’m particularly fond of one area on my four-mile trek, just at the crest of one of the many hills in my subdivision.  The homeowner wisely placed numerous shade trees near their property line, which have matured and produced a quiet, calm sitting area in the owner’s backyard.  But to my delight, they cast their shade across the road and afford me a refreshing breather from the sun’s beating down on my path.  Today I intentionally looped back around this area three times just to enjoy the shade a little longer!

That’s when the Lord spoke to me.  Those trees were not planted yesterday.  Or last year.  Or even in this decade.  They were planted 25 or 30 years ago with the vision that someday they would provide magnificent beauty.  And shade.  Refreshing shade.

Are you planting shade trees for your future and the generations to come?  Sure, we enjoy shade trees in our yards and near our patios.  But shade trees have an amazing ability to reach out beyond where they are planted.  One such tree in my neighborhood forms a complete arch over the road, and even provides shade for the house on the other side of the street!

The shade trees I can immediately identify in my life are:

1. The Shade Tree of Family. My parents planted a Tree 59 years ago whose Roots formed a strong marriage and provided a secure family environment for my siblings and me.  I cannot count the times I have run to that Tree for support, comfort, and rest.  My husband and I took those Seeds and planted the same for our children.

2. The Shade Tree of Divine Communion. I walk with the intent of praying.  I’m anything butan athlete, but I realize my body needs exercise.   So I walk with an agenda – to fellowship with God.  Whether it’s walking your neighborhood or kneeling in your Secret Place, time with God is the most refreshing Shade Tree in life!  Linger there a little longer.

3. The Shade Tree called “Church Alive.” Twenty years ago, my family planted the Seeds of a Church.  [It’s actually called a “Church Plant”.]  It’s my personal Shade Tree, my church family, my spiritual home.  Every week I “walk intentionally” under that Tree and without fail find the refreshing, cool breezes of the Spirit.  Today that Church provides Shade that reaches nations!  I cannot overstate the importance of planting oneself under the Shade of the Local Church.

When the great Prophet Elijah was weary from the heat of spiritual warfare with the spirit of Jezebel, he went a day’s journey and laid down under a juniper tree where the angel of the Lord found him and brought him food and drink.

When the Psalmist wanted to portray the picture of a godly life, he said, “And he shall be like a tree firmly planted…” (Psalm 1:3).

If we expect to find refreshment and rest in the heat of life, we need to plant our own Shade Trees.  If you haven’t, do not fear.  Just walk with people who planted theirs years ago.