Money Grows on Trees

Do you ever wonder where God is?

Do you ever just look around and see all the bad things happening in the world, and wonder how God could exist in the midst of everything?

Do you have an exceedingly difficult time believing that God is working in your life?  That God cares?

Do you ever feel like God is just ignoring you?

Do you think it's possible that God is right in front of us, that we see God everyday, and that we just don't notice?

I do.

In my last blog post, I wrote about how it's possible that the reason we can't hear or see or feel God is because we're too focused on our own lives, our own schedules.  I suggested that maybe God is there all around us, but we're just too busy to pay attention.

But just how much do we really miss?

I happened across this video on YouTube tonight.  Take a look...

Whether or not it was the intent of the creator of this video or not, I think that this is a perfect example of how we sometimes respond to God.

There's basically four responses that people have to the tree...

1) They don't notice it at all.

2) They see the tree, but don't take any money from it.

3) They see the tree, and take money from it.

4) They see the tree, take money from it, and point it out to other passerby so that they can experience the tree too.

...I feel like where I'm going might be self-explanatory...but let's go there anyway.

I would like to think that if I walked under a tree filled with dollar bills, that I would notice.  Especially if I had to DUCK under the tree.  At that point, you're just going out of your way to avoid the tree...how in the world could you NOT see it?  But SO MANY PEOPLE in the video did just that.  They walked quickly past the tree, not even noticing how extraordinarily unusual, generous, and inviting it was.  They were so invested in their own lives, that they didn't even notice that money was growing on trees right in front of them.

Other people saw the tree, saw the money in it, and just kept walking.  I'm thinking, "What's WRONG with these people???"  I get the whole idea that "maybe-it's-not-for-me-so-I-shouldn't-touch-it.  But at least stop and LOOK at it a bit closer...and then maybe you'd see that the tree was meant for you to experience all along.

Then there's the predictable people who saw the tree, got excited, and took money from it.  A few people even took several bills from the tree.  They saw something awesome, and let themselves experience it.

The fourth group of people, though, is my favorite.  These people saw the tree, got all excited, took a bill or two from the tree...but then they stopped and went out of their way to point out to other people what they were missing.  They stopped their lives, and intervened in the lives of others...making sure that no one missed this miraculous thing that they were so willingly or blindly passing by.

Now stop and switch the tree out with God in your mind.

Think about that for a second...

Most of the time, people want to believe that they'll be in the group that sees the tree, that sees God.  I definitely want to assume that I'd be in that group.  Maybe, if you're feeling particularly selfless today, you'll want to believe that you'll be in the group that sees the tree (and sees God) and points the awesomeness out to other people.  I'd also like to believe that I'd be a part of THAT group.

But really....how many times are we the people who ignore the tree (and ignore God), or just don't see it at all (or don't notice God)?

See where I'm going with this?

Maybe this video, charming as it is, is screaming at us with a problem with our culture today.  Actually, forget our culture...it's a problem with us.  With you and me.  We can be so self-absorbed that we don't even notice the spectacular.  Or we can be so proud that even when we DO see something amazing, we choose not to experience it.  Or, even if we do take notice, we might be so excited in our own experience that we forget to use it to help other people.  If it's all about us, it's never about other people...it's never about something beyond ourselves.  

It goes for the good and the bad.

So maybe you're thinking now:

"How could you just ignore a tree like that?  I'd never just pass by it without doing anything."

...but how many times do you walk past a homeless person without taking notice?

I've done it countless times.

"Of course I'd tell other people about the tree!!"

...but how many times do you keep back important information from people because you're afraid of an awkward situation by bringing up something that might be uncomfortable?

Done that one a lot too.

Personally, I found this video to be an exceedingly charming idea, but also really challenging.

How would you feel if you made the money tree for everyone to see and love and take joy from, but they just walked by your gift without noticing?  That's probably how God feels every time we fail to notice the gloriousness of His creation, or of His work in our own lives.  I would hate to make God feel like that.  

So I better pay better attention.

The other thing I loved about the tree was that most people who took from the tree only took one bill.  For them, it wasn't about the money; it was about the goodwill behind the money.

So maybe we shouldn't get caught up looking for blessings from God, but should just stop and appreciate God for God's sake.

So I probably should stop wondering what God can do for me, and look at everything He's already done.

Sometimes the extraordinary appears in the ordinary.  But most of the time, we only see the ordinary.  How lame is that?  Maybe we should look a little deeper.

And maybe...

When we DO happen across a tree of money...

Maybe we shouldn't be afraid to let ourselves accept the gift which it offers...

...and maybe we should go out of our way to show other people the tree as well.

Don't you think?