When Paul wrote these words, probably around 56 AD, he was in Macedonia on his third missionary journey with Timothy. The words above suggest he was dealing with difficult issues within the newly formed Corinthian congregation. He emphasizes the vast space between eternal and temporal problems.

I have pondered these words many times over the years. What are the ‘things that can’t be seen’? And why are they eternal?

I am reminded of a children’s book I read to our son and daughter when they were growing up. The book, by Shel Silverstein, named The Giving Tree, published in 1964, was a bestseller and is still in publication.

In the story, a boy and an apple tree are friends. The boy climbs up the tree, plays ‘king of the forest,’ swings from her branches, eats her apples, and sleeps in her shade. The boy loves the tree, and the tree is happy. But as the boy grows older, he spends more and more time away from the tree. When he does come to visit, he tells the tree he needs money, and the tree offers her apples. He takes the apples to sell, and the tree is happy. A long time later, the boy returns and tells the tree he needs a house. The tree offers her branches for lumber, and the boy cuts them and takes them away. And the tree is happy. After another long interval, the boy returns, a sad and aging man. He tells the tree he wants a boat to take him far away. The tree offers her trunk, and the boy cuts down the trunk to make a boat and sails away. And the tree is happy, but not really. Finally, the boy returns as an old man, and the tree, now a stump, has nothing to give him. But all he desires is a place to rest. And the tree offers her stump as a place of rest. The boy sits. And the tree is happy.

This story is a parable that has been interpreted in many ways. But it can be seen as symbolizing the relationship between God and humans. The boy’s body, as he ages, is breaking down every day. The boy seems to value only ‘the things that can be seen’: money, a house, a boat. But as he ages, he realizes that the things that can be seen are temporary. The things that can’t be seen—the eternal love that the tree holds for him— draws him back again and again. When he returns as an old man, he is seeking a place of rest and relationship. The tree, like God, is happy.

I live in a senior independent living community. All of us recognize that ‘our bodies are breaking down on the outside.’ The things that matter in our lives—love for friends, family, and our neighbors wherever they are—can’t be seen, but they are building up a stockpile of glory because they have eternal consequences. The kindness we show today can transform the life of a fellow human in ways we will never recognize, in ways that may even be eternal. Like the tree stump for the tired old man, we can still show love at this stage of life.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of your sacrificial love. Thank you for welcoming us back again and again when we realize that material things do not bring happiness. Thank you for connecting us with the love that cannot always be seen but always transforms. Amen.

This devotion was written by Laura Derr and read by Judy Wilson.

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