Plant for Others

Back in 1983 when my parents moved our family to Haiti, I remember something unique about my dad. He loved to plant trees.

This was especially important since Haiti was deforested, as their number one fuel was charcoal. The process to make charcoal involved cutting down a tree and then burning the wood into charcoal. The first trees I remember us planting were along the stream in the village of Neply. Today, those trees have grown mature and provide shade to the families who live there.

Who are you planting trees for? The book, The Man Who Planted Trees, is the fable of a man nicknamed the “shepherd tree-planter,” who planted ten thousand oaks. He planted them to reforest a desolate valley in the foothills of the Alps. These trees grew and became the catalyst of an entirely new industry for the next generation in that area. Today, we can plant trees both literally and figuratively.

A pastor friend of mine, Ryan Alonso, from Lineage Church in Cocoa, Florida, has some mango trees in his front yard. One day he came to visit me with a bag containing three mangoes as a gift. Two of them were re-gifted to a neighbor of mine and one I enjoyed myself. But then I thought, what if I planted this mango seed? So, I went on YouTube and searched how to plant a mango tree from a mango pit. I learned that I needed to take the husk and put it in the sun and let it dry for three days, and then carefully remove the inner seed of the husk and plant it. Daily I watered this newly planted mango seed, checking on it like a newborn baby. And then, one month later, the first sprout broke up from the soil. I was ecstatic.

I discovered from this experience a five-step process that I use as a guide for how I want to plant trees in my life, both physically and relationally. First, I pray: “Dear Lord, this is from you: this person, this seed of a tree or opportunity, may I be a good steward of what you have entrusted to me.” Second, the planting begins. This is the process of preparing the ground and time we have together with proper soil, focusing on what’s needed to develop a healthy environment for growth. Third, I cultivate. This is not an overnight success. Pulling weeds, watering, even having long conversations with someone who is going through a hard time is cultivating. Cultivate a healthy environment for growth. Number four is growth...and it’s a true gift.

I do not expect growth; I trust God for the growth. “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:7) Then, as the harvest comes, give thanks. During the process of waiting, patience is essential. I know that I will need to be patient for up to four years before I see fruit from my new mango tree. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

Today, where will you plant trees? Pray. Plant. Cultivate. Grow. Harvest. ~Tim DeTellis