For green, green branches, pluck those pods

Like tall, green sentinels, they marched along. Quiet guardians, those evergreen trees, standing watch along the front of the house. Then all at once, we saw it.

The tree in the middle was brown! No longer that dark, vibrant green, it was browning up and down its entire length. The transformation was jarring. Ugly. Hideous.

Unbeknownst to us, the bag worms had come. Hanging all over the tree and the two beside it were pods that looked like—looked exactly like—small pine cones. Harmless and benign in appearance, they had gone unnoticed until the vanishing of the green and the encroachment of the brown.

We contacted a neighbor who works at a local extension office. She came out to investigate the infestation and told us what to do. If we picked each hanging pod off and dropped it in a bucket of soapy water, we could kill the worms before they hatched into moths. Which would, of course, wreak havoc down the road.

She inspected the bark on the tree that was, by all appearances, already dead. On the trunk, the bark was green. Next spring, she said, the tree would green up again despite the ravaging of the worms.

For hours, then, our sons plucked pods in the searing heat, dropping them into buckets of water. It was filthy, disgusting work, and in that summer sun, those pods began to stink. It was the stench of death.

This is not a pleasant story, but it’s an important one, for those horrid worms have lessons to teach us. The first one is this, that appearances can be deceiving. Whether it’s the things we believe, people we choose to trust, or the habits and characteristics we allow in our lives, it behooves us to exercise wisdom and discernment in everything.

Our first and greatest protectant is to be rooted and grounded in Truth. There is a source of absolute truth, and we can know it. That capital-T Truth is our north star, our guiding light, and it will keep us from destruction. A white lie is still a lie, and half a truth is still half a lie. Enter one wrong digit into your GPS, and you will end up where you never planned to go. And all the time, you thought you were on the right track.

Not every philosophy that sounds good is good. Not every cause that is popular is virtuous. Evil can masquerade as good, and darkness can cloak itself for a time, but not forever. Behind the façade is the worm that decays, and eventually its fruit will be seen. The branches will turn brown.

The same is true of the people we trust, those to whom we give our ears, our hearts, and our assent. Not everyone who appears to be of good character is trust-worthy. Not everyone should be followed or believed. Since it’s true that our friends, business partners, and others to whom we are connected will influence us, we must be careful and wise. This is not the judgment that’s rooted in condemnation, but the sober assessment of another.

Look at it like this. For the sake of our health, we would not knowingly put ourselves into the hands of a disreputable, unqualified surgeon. For the sake of our mental, emotional, and spiritual health, we should be even more cautious about the hands into which we place our hearts. Our inner circle should include people of integrity and character. These people will carry the fragrance of life and not death, and our souls will prosper in their presence.

Lastly, we must take responsibility to check our own branches. Periodic self-reflection can reveal hidden habits or small flaws that appear benign, but will gradually “steal our green” before hatching into moths that spread.

Are you holding bitterness or resentment, small pods that sprang from rightful anger over harm that you endured? Do you ruminate over past events, unable to move forward? Be careful here, for what began as true injustice can attach to you and grow, turning rancid as the years go by, destroying what was beautiful in your life. Just like the worms on our tree.

Forgiveness will set you free. Forgiveness, it must be noted here, does not equal forgetting. We are not commanded to forgive and forget. First of all, it’s not possible. And second, it’s not always wise. When forgetting means erasing part of the story that made you ‘you,’ then how will you have the ability to comfort and help someone else who’s walking the same path?

In my own life, it is precisely because I remember what happened that I now carry the deep medicine that others need. Because I remember where I started and how much I have healed and grown, I am vastly thankful, and I know the One who helped me get here. Forgiveness set me free, and remembering has empowered me to hold the light for others.

Whatever unpleasant, unsound thing you find as you review your life, you have the power and the choice to “pluck those pods” and drown them, becoming someone new. Even if your branches have turned brown, there is still green along the trunk, for as long as you are alive, there is hope. You can go into your old age, being a healthy, shade-giving tree that beautifies the place where you live.

Yes. You can. Don’t wait.

To hear the essay discussed live, tune into the James Golden Radio Show on 77 WABC every Saturday morning. Bring your own coffee.