Weathering Trials

 

 

One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.

Psalms 145:4 (NKJV)

Author Nancy I. Sanders has discovered a very old tree in Massachusetts. It was planted in 1632 by John Endecott. The most surprising part is that the tree is still there almost 400 years later. Mrs. Sanders has written a children's picture book about the pear tree, The Very Oldest Pear Tree. The tree, brought from England in 1630 at the request of John Endecott, was planted on his farm; Orchard Farm near what is now Danvers, Massachusetts. Mrs. Sanders tells the story of how the little tree had to be nurtured for a couple of years because of the long voyage and the tenderness of the tree. Other trees were also shipped for his orchard. He planted them together but this one little pear tree went in front of where he would build his house. When fires raged through his orchard, the little pear tree was safe. He told others that the tree would outlive him but he had no idea how long it would live. It produced fine little pears for cooking and making jam but they were a little tart it seems for eating.

Long after John Endecott died, John Adams finished his term as president and moved back to his farm. It was only a few miles from the Endecott farm where the tree was still growing. A friend brought Adams a basket of pears with the note to "eat with our forefathers." Wow, can you imagine eating from a tree that is well over a hundred years old? Can you imagine how those living back then would have enjoyed the pears? Can you imagine the conversation about the pie or the jam around the family table?

The Endecott pear tree, as it became known, also survived storms. It survived the building of factories and railroads. It even survived vandals who stripped it of its limbs, leaving only the trunk. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem about it. Later, in honor of Arbor Day, Lucy Larcom also wrote about this little pear tree. Today a fence with a plaque surrounds the tree. Little branches have been taken to a Germplasm Repository where they continue to clone this magnificent little tree. 

My favorite quote from the book is "The tree was small and sturdy. Though young, its roots reached deep." I think there's a truth there for all of us. No matter how small or how young; when we plant our roots deep in God's word and investigate the roots of our Christian forefathers, whether our family or our nation, we become strong. We can survive the fires and the storms of this life. We can be the trees and fruit from which our descendants can gain strength. Mrs. Sanders’ book is dedicated to her grandson. She leaves him with this verse: "Pass the story down from generation to generation." Joel 1:3 — NIS. 

Heavenly Father, help us to be rooted in your word and demonstrate to the generations to come of the great strength you provide to those who are called by your name. In Jesus's name. Amen

Hey Kids:

One of our presidents received a note with a basket of pears from the Endicott Tree to "eat with our forefathers". It's likely you don't have a tree or anything passed down for hundreds of years except the faith of your forefathers. 

Father's Day is just a few weeks off. Whether we know our birth fathers or not, we do have a legacy of faith from our spiritual fathers. I thought you might enjoy hearing a song that is not sung very often except on Father's Day. It tells of all the trials our forefathers went through to bring us the faith in Jesus that we can still claim today. The song is called Faith of our Fathers. 

The history of some of our forefathers of faith can be found in  The Trail of Blood, Martyr's Mirror and Fox's Book of Martyrs.