Mushrooms and Oak Trees

Never, ever had I heard a sermon or read a devotion about mushrooms and oak trees … until a few weeks ago. I then went from never having heard the analogy to seemingly hearing about it all the time. 

The analogy resonates with me because there are lots of mushrooms in the courtyard area where I live. It baffles me how quickly they grow and just how many of them there are. The landscapers are here on Tuesdays, carefully pruning the green spaces in our community but by Thursdays the mushrooms are back – they are relentless! 

There are over 14,000 species of mushrooms in the world. The fastest-growing mushrooms can flower overnight. In order to get rid of some species, you can simply pull the mushrooms from the ground at the first sight of sprouting. On the other end of the spectrum are oak trees. 

There are around 600 species of oak trees around the world. It takes them anywhere from two to three decades to mature and begin producing fruit. Peak production for some varieties is when they are between 50 and 80 years old. Oak trees can live anywhere from 100 – 300 years! Another fascinating fact about oak trees is the roots are “three to seven times the diameter of the [tree] crown!” 

Mushrooms and oak trees. As I’ve continued to hear and read about this dichotomy, my prayer has become:  

Lord, help me to be like an oak tree. Help my growth to be slow and steady, developing roots that run deep and are not easily pruned. Help my actions to be intentional – proactive instead of reactive; careful in thought, and guarded in love, not sprouting quickly or prematurely without depth like mushrooms. And Lord, help me to stand tall so that all will see you through me. Help me provide comfort [shade], refuge [prayer and friendship], and a safe space to abide [loving community]. Dear Lord help me be like an oak tree and not a mushroom.  

All images are from Unsplash.com