Planted like a Tree | Perkins Fellow Megnot Abebe '25
“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.”
Psalm1:3 paints a picture of a tree. One that yields fruit in season and who is prosperous in every season. But how?
Lorenzo, CEO of Christian Community Development Association kicked off the first morning plenary with this psalm. He reminded us to think about this tension of prosperity existing even in not fruit bearing seasons. The prosperity is not defined by the fruitfulness of the season, instead by the stream it draws from in both seasons. And even in times where the tree is not yet bearing fruit, it is preparing to.
And as I sat there in Covington, KY it pushed me to pause, to reflect on my semester so far, to ask myself once again, how do I make sure that I realign with the Word and make sure that I am acting, thinking, praying—living in a season that is prosperous ?
I constantly remember that I am one of the trees planted by streams of water.
We are first and foremost creations of God. And a gift that I often forget that the Lord blesses us with inherently in this world is Him and others. How often am I thankful for not having to live this world alone? When the Lord blessed Adam with Eve, He blessed him with someone who simultaneously was like Adam in that she was human and she was a part of God in that she was made in His image. And what a gift that is.
As I zoom out to the CCDA conference, how thankful am I to sit alongside other UVA students willing to travel mid-year to be in Kentucky, to be surrounded by other followers who have committed their lives to the work of finding the Lord’s justice, hope and will in their communities.
In addition, I am reminded that I am a tree that prospers in every season, regardless of whether I am bearing visible fruit or not. I remind myself that my prosperity is not defined by material wealth, or my grades, or my achievements but in what the Lord defines as prosperous. And as I move away from what I define as prosperous, to what the Lord does, I have to search harder and deeper into understanding the Spirit and the word. In Geography of Grace, in the chapter “Reading The World,” they introduce the idea of ‘Mapping the Hope’. It is referred to as a process where individuals or community leaders find the unique ways hope is found externally and internally. In Charlottesville, I am reminded of hope as I chase Azhiya around a picnic table outside during Bible Club. As I walk with Leena in solidarity with Palestinians during a walkout for Gaza. As I stand in front of the Chapel next to Grace, silent, in memory of Lavel, Devin, D’Sean.
Finally, the road to see the bigger picture requires us to remember, to remember that I am fruitful in seasons, and in the seasons I am not, I am preparing to bear fruit. This importance of memory was highlighted in the words of Richard Rohr, “Remember in the dark what you knew in the light”. Our faith needs to be grounded in the knowledge of the unwavering character of the Lord– of His goodness, His faithfulness, His love. That when we understand better who the Lord is, we are able to see Him separate from our circumstances and our current states. Life/ The world, whatever you want to call it, has ups and downs, but as I am standing in a season devoid of fruit, do I remember that the stream that flows to me is the same one that flowed to me in fruitful seasons? Will I remember the God that has provided for me so far is the one I am putting my faith in now? And do I have the courage not to let my current situation or the current state of the world taint this character of who He is?
In Hebrews 10:23, it is written “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” So, as we head to the end of semesters, end of seasons, and end of the year, I hope and pray that we may remember that we are trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever we do prospers. And may we have the courage and hope to constantly remind ourselves of it and pause to remember the One who calls us Beloved.