Life has been expressed by many as being like a ‘tapestry’ in which the intertwining threads are created through our experiences; some filled with joy, others with sorrow and others with the ordinary rhythms of life. The different seasons of life is a metaphor also used to express that life is never static, instead it changes depending on life experiences and events.

In the month of May we begin to look forward to the warmer weather of summer, even though we are still in the season of spring. All around us are green shoots of life and the trees that were once bare, have green leaves and buds on. The bare trees of winter are no more. Instead, we are surrounded by different shades of green, with the different varieties of trees that are all around. Take a moment to reflect on the beauty of God’s creation that surrounds us.

Life as a tapestry which reflects the seasons of life is poetically captured throughout the 150 Psalms, which are written in response to different life events and experiences. There are Psalms of; praise and wonder, cries of help and laments, each of which reveals the depth of God’s grace and love. Our Bible reading today is Psalm one. A Psalm which encourages us to reflect on how we approach the reading of the scriptures and whether God is the director and source of life through all the seasons. Psalm 1: verses 2-3:

“…. but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruits in season and whose leaf does not wither whatever they do prospers.”

The streams of waters that nourish the different trees; words that are echoed in Psalm 23 verse 2, where God leads us “beside quiet waters” refreshing our souls. Also in John Chapter 15 verse 1, where Jesus talks about the Vine and the branches. “I am the vine, and my Father is the gardener.” God enables us to grow, brings refreshment through which we flourish, as we rest in streams of living water.

The beauty of the psalmist use of the metaphor of people being like trees, is that it reflects our individual nature by not naming a particular tree. It instead paints a rich tapestry of the diversity of human life, as we imagine all the different varieties of trees.

Psalm one’s message is that the source of life is God. It calls us to reflect on whether we delight in God’s scriptures daily to nourish us and trust in God’s love to guide us through life’s challenges. If, however, we forsake God in our daily lives Isaiah 1 verse 30 says “You will be like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water”. It maybe that today you are feeling dry and/or are seeking direction from God on a particular issue. The invitation is to rest in God’s streams of living water through the Holy Spirit. If that is you, Jesus says to you “Come to me, all you are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

In sitting by the still waters and receiving refreshment we meet God, who is trustworthy. There we can release our desire to self-direct our lives and trust in God’s guidance. A place that is captured in Psalm 52 verse 8, who uses the imagery of an Olive tree. “But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever”. Amen.