Steadfast Love

 


As I walked down the sidewalk under the tall canopy of Oak trees, I spotted these two Cypress trees through the tunnel of trunks and branches. Their slightly different color and their straight shape make them stand out among the other trees. Cypress always make me think of my time in south Louisiana, where the trees grow in the wetlands and seem one with the water.
In the Bible, Cypress trees or Cypress wood is mentioned many times. Noah’s ark was covered in Cypress. The Temple was adorned with Cypress. The poet Solomon used the Cypress trees to express the highest beauty.
The wood is durable, stable, and water and rot resistant. If something is built to last, Cypress is a good choice. Doors, boats, siding, even caskets, are often made of cypress. There is something compelling about this combination of beauty and longevity.
When King Solomon built the Temple, it was to represent the majesty of God and the nature of God’s steadfast love. The beauty of God’s love is not fleeting. It endures through all the ages. It endures through our refusal to acknowledge it. It endures our inability to understand it. God’s love endures even our rejection of that love, and remains steadfast and constant toward us. The Cypress reminds us that God’s love can be counted upon.
Peace.

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