Mighty Oaks of Righteousness

Bonsai collection at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. This Bonsai Buttonwood is approximately 373 years old, collected from the wild in a mangrove in Florida. It was determined to have been growing since 1649!

As I go through life, I find that creation often speaks profound lessons into my soul. A few weeks ago, I visited a botanical garden and was fascinated by a collection of bonsai trees. I paused to linger as I observed them and, not knowing exactly why, snapped a few photos to reflect on later.

I have begun to understand what God was speaking to me through those tiny trees. I’ve done a little research about the Bonsai process of using regular trees that are carefully shaped, pruned, and manipulated to remain a fraction of their natural size. In God’s design, these trees are designed to grow tall, to offer shade, to bear fruit, to multiply. They are designed to thrive.

And yet, with constant and intentional trimming, wiring, and repotting, these bonsai trees will never reach the full measure of what they were created to be.

We are like trees.

The Bible tells us in Isaiah 61:3 that God has made us to be “oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” It glorifies God when we grow, thrive, and flourish in the fullness of who He created us to be. He has planted within each of us a purpose that is unique and powerful. He has given us gifts, dreams, and purpose that are not to be minimized but nurtured and released to their full potential.

Just as a bonsai tree is shaped by the hands of a gardener, we are molded and fashioned by God to flourish. We also can be shaped —not for growth, but for limitation. We can be influenced by our enemy as he cuts away at truth, bends our purpose with lies, and tries to bind us into a lesser version of who God says we are.

For me, the "bonsai" tools of the enemy look like:

• “You don’t know what you’re doing.” (Snip—a branch of confidence falls.)

• “People just tolerate you; they don’t actually want you.” (Snip, snip—new growth in relationships is lost before it fully forms.)

• “You’re a goofball; it’s too much for people.” (Wire wraps around a branch, holding it back.)

Jesus spoke plainly about this: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10

I’m not criticizing the art of bonsai. It’s an incredibly skilled and beautiful process. But it can also teach us something deeply spiritual. We were not created to remain small or live limited lives. The Spirit of God in us yearns for growth, for fruitfulness, for fullness. God describes Himself in John 15 as the Gardener. Unlike Satan who prunes our identity with lies and binds our growth with fear and doubt, our Father prunes the branches so we will bear much fruit. 

Bonsai Fig, approximately 45 years old.

This Bonsai Yew is 63 years old. It was a landscape shrub trained as a Bonsai in 1960.

So today, dear daughters of God, I write to encourage you: Do not settle for the miniature version of yourself. Do not allow the enemy to convince you that this is all there is.

You were created to thrive in good soil, rooted deeply in the love and truth of Christ as a Mighty Oak Of Righteousness, planted by the Lord.

“Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith… and overflowing with gratitude.” – Colossians 2:6–7

Let’s choose to embrace God’s workmanship of our lives into mighty oaks, full of life and purpose, as we give glory to our God in every season.

Comment below an area where you've perhaps been "bonsai-ed..." into staying small. I'd love to hear from you!