One of my favorite things about Tapawingo are the songs we sing.  One song that stayed with me from this past summer was, "The Tree Song." 

  

I want to be like a tree planted by the streams of living water.  Oh, I want to be like a tree planted by the streams of living water...I want to be unmovable, unshakeable, let my roots go down deep, unmovable unshakeable in You...

  

We sang it with such joy!

  

It stems from Psalm 1:2-3 which says, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers."

  

On the flip side it reminds me of Jeremiah 2:13 which says, "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

A tree - longing, thirsting to be near the only source of true life - versus a person who has forsaken the source of true life AND THEN begun digging and working and thirsting after such foolish things.   

  

It strikes me that when God could have accused the people of many, many things, He says only two...They turned away from Him and tried to satisfy themselves with other things...

  

Now that we are all back into the swing of the fall and school, it's a great time to ask ourselves a few questions...

  

1) Am I still thirsty for Jesus?  Do I still want to be like a tree planted by the streams of living water?

  

2) If not, where in my life am I thirsting for other things?   

  

Miss Charis once told me a story about horses.  She asked me if I knew how to tell who the lead horse was in a pack?  I was thinking it was probably the strongest, or fiercest.  Maybe it was the biggest.  But she told me that it was actually the horse that remained calm and grounded in the midst of chaos.

  

When all around you in school is difficult, will you be a leader?  When your friends are making choices, will you stand out this year as a woman who is unmovable, unshakeable, like a tree planted by the streams of living water?  Will you remain connected to the only true source of life? 

  

Now is a great time to remember the sisters you have who, like you, may be struggling, but want to STAND for righteousness this year.  Who want to thirst, more and more for the living water (Jesus) and who want to be the lead horses right in the middle of their friends. 

  

We won't regret it when we meet again next summer and tell each other stories of how we stood firm for Christ and became more deeply rooted.

  

Oh, and it's okay if you want to go outside and sing that song at the top of your lungs.

  

Much love,

  

Miss Joy

  

Joy Huseland

Tapawingo Director

518-774-6713