The Buried Walnut

Each year in spring we have a landscaper do our spring clean up.
The leaves are removed from the beds.
The plants are pruned.
Everything is prepared for the new growth.

There is something about newly mulched beds that is so pleasing to the eye.
It is almost like the feeling a woman gets when her house is really clean.
That really clean feeling a woman experiences for a few minutes.
A few minutes of satisfaction until the house gets lived in, as houses are meant to do.

Newly mulched beds, with no leaves, no sticks, and no weeds.
Beds without tree seedlings that spin like a whirl-a-gig until they find rest.
Clean beds with a blanket covering of mulch.
What a difference a day makes.

I was outside watering my hanging baskets.
The landscaper was near my laundry room door.
I looked down and saw a tall weed growing next to my house.
The weed was actually clinging to the stone of my house.

The colors of the weed and the stone seemed to blend together.
Except for the fact that I needed to turn on the hose, I never would have seen it.
Is that a weed? I asked her.
That is a walnut tree, she said in a matter of fact way.

A walnut tree? I asked incredulously.
Walnut trees do not cling to the stone on a house.
Walnut trees are to be in open areas where there is room for them to grow.
A squirrel buried it and must have forgotten about it, she said.

I see squirrels carrying nuts in their mouth when I am on my morning walk.
They scamper across the road as if to say, this is mine and you can’t have it.
I smile when I see them so skittish as they dart to and fro.
One of those squirrels buried a walnut next to my house for safekeeping.

That same squirrel went away and did not remember this particular hiding spot.
I thought of how many trees begin just this way.
A forgetful squirrel, a forgotten stash, and a tree is planted.
Except the squirrel’s hiding place is not always in the best location.

We already have a walnut tree in our front yard.
It is the tree that has the swing my husband made for our daughter.
The black walnut was always my least favorite tree.
The walnuts drop to the ground as the fall approaches; they are scattered over the yard.

Walnut trees leave much litter all over the lawn.
A large walnut tree can drop enough nuts to fill a 5-gallon bucket every day for weeks.
They are also the source of juglone, which is a toxic substance.
Juglone stops the respiratory process of many garden plants.

A gardener knows that many plants cannot be planted close to a walnut tree.
The roots of a black walnut can extend 3-4 times the diameter of the tree’s canopy.
The area affected is quite wide.
Plants growing in the vicinity of a black walnut tree will either die or will struggle to live.

Yet this forgetful squirrel buried a toxic black walnut next to my house.
Right next to the foundation, the walnut tree is beginning to grow.
The toxins can remain in the soil for several years.
If the walnut tree is removed, the roots must be removed as well.

Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, ” Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you but you must master it.” Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother, Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:1-10)

Toxins in the soil.
Sin we thought we buried.
Sin we thought we covered up.
Sin that pops up at the most inopportune time.

We bury our sin and think that it is out of sight and out of mind.
However one day, our sin pops up unexpected and rears its ugly head.
Our sin blends in with our surroundings for a time.
Then it becomes too big for us to ignore.

Our buried sin is a source of toxins that affect everything around it.
The canopy of our sin is far reaching.
Our sin can only remain hidden to so long.
The only was to eradicate the toxin of our sin is to confess it and remove it, roots and all.

Walnut trees are not to be planted next to the foundation of a house.
Sin we thought we buried will pop up through the soil of our life.
It screams to be dealt with.
The root of our sin goes deep.

Pull it out!
Remove the debris.
Clean the surrounding area.
Don’t wait until the toxicity spreads.

You have a garden to tend.
You have a garden to protect.
You are a fruitful garden with a strong foundation.
You are a planting of the Lord.

It is time for the clean up.
It is time to be aware of the toxicity of sin and confess it.
Remove the sin from your life roots and all.
The Master Gardener is ready to prune.

 

2 responses to “The Buried Walnut”

1. Such a great analogy, Gina! There is so much to learn from nature, if we would only pay attention. I think Christians are attuned to see God’s hand in everything and that is such a wonderful gift!

   Reply

   • Sue,
     God is all around us. We need to be still enough to see Him and quiet enough to hear Him whisper.
     Gina

     Reply