The Cross In The Tree
26 October, 2025
Jesus is Lord.
I had just come from church, where I had spoken about keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2, NIV 1984). I shared that, effectively, when we focus on Him, the obstacles lose their power, the noise fades, and what once seemed confusing becomes clear. Because when Jesus is our focus, everything else aligns under His Lordship.
After the service, I went with Natasha, Jim and Linda to a nearby café. We sat together talking about God, life, and everything in between. And as I looked out through the café doors, I noticed a tree standing alone in the courtyard. At first glance it looked ordinary; scarred, weathered, just another tree. But something about it caught my eye.
Running down the centre of the trunk was a long vertical scar, stretching from top to bottom, like a line drawn from heaven to earth. Cutting across it midway was another mark, faint but clear, a horizontal line. Together they formed the unmistakable shape of a cross.
And in that moment, the Holy Spirit whispered, “Look again.”
That vertical scar spoke of heaven meeting earth, of the love of God reaching down into human history through His Son. Jesus said, “For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). He is the bridge between God and man, the one mediator spoken of by Paul: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
The line from top to bottom reminded me that the gospel always begins from above. It wasn’t us reaching up to God; it was God reaching down to us. “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Heaven touched earth in Jesus.
Then I saw that faint horizontal mark stretching from one side of the trunk to the other, and Psalm 103:12 came alive: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” That verse is precise. If Scripture had said north to south, the distance would have a limit; you can walk north only until you reach the North Pole, then every step takes you south. But east and west never meet. You can walk east forever and never reach the west.
That’s how completely God has removed our sin through the Cross. “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17). “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Through Jesus’ sacrifice, our past is not merely forgiven; it is gone.
That day I saw the message of salvation carved into the bark of a living tree. Heaven touching earth. Forgiveness without limit. Grace that knows no boundaries.
That tree had suffered. Its bark was cracked, its trunk wounded, yet it stood tall, rooted, and reaching toward the light. And I realised it was preaching its own sermon. “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Isaiah wrote, “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour” (Isaiah 61:3). Even when scarred, what is planted by the Lord still declares His glory. The same is true for the Church and for each of us. “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God” (Psalm 92:12–13).
God reminded me that if we look closely, we can see Him in everything. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20). “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1). The same Creator who wrote the gospel into creation has written His Spirit into our hearts. The Cross isn’t confined to church walls; it’s written across creation for those who have eyes to see.
Maybe you read this and think, “That’s beautiful, but I don’t feel strong like that tree.” Maybe life has left you wounded, lonely, or unsure of your worth. “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Even when you can’t sense His presence, He is working. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
You are not forgotten. You are not disqualified. The God who used a scarred tree to tell His story can use your scars too. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Your worth is not measured by your performance but by His sacrifice. You don’t have to strive to become someone else. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9).
In His eyes, and His eyes are the only ones that matter, you are loved, redeemed, and being made holy day by day. All you need to be is who you are, where you are, and let God do the rest.
So, the next time you see a scar, on a tree, in your life, or in your past, remember the Cross. What once looked like damage may actually be the mark of redemption. Just as the risen Christ showed Thomas His wounds (John 20:27), your scars can become testimonies that grace has done its work.
If you can see the Cross in the tree, you can see the Cross in your story. You are loved more deeply than you know, seen more clearly than you realise, and held more securely than you can imagine.
“Fix your thoughts on Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1). “Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). “I am the vine; you are the branches, apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Stay rooted in Him. Keep your eyes on Him. And you will stand, just like that tree, wounded but alive, imperfect but planted, ordinary yet displaying His splendour.
Jesus is Lord.