The Tree That is Me

Years ago, I served as an administrator at an international school in South Korea, and one day, Jackie, the office manager, said this to me: "Mr. Roberts, you are 대나무 정령 (daenamu jeongyeong)—‘a bamboo spirit.’”

I asked Jackie and the other Korean staff members what that meant in their culture, and they offered the following insights: Bamboo, they explained, symbolizes righteous living in a disorderly world—a combination of upright integrity and accommodating flexibility, perfectly balancing grace and strength. They described how the bamboo tree is resilient and adaptable: it can’t be knocked down or broken in a storm but simply bends with the wind. Its hollow center represents purity of spirit and an openness to the divine—embodying someone who lives with resilience, grace, and quiet strength.

Wow, I was deeply humbled by Jackie’s kind words and her comparison of me to a bamboo tree. Yet, as I reflect on the tree that is me, I know I fall short of being a true 'bamboo spirit.'

But oh, how I long to become a “tree” for the Lord and His glory!

The Bible references trees 257 times—more than any other living thing apart from God and people. Throughout Scripture, God's followers are frequently described as, or compared to, trees. Consider these verses:

Blessed is the one … whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3, NIV)

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (Psalm 92:12-15, ESV)

Each of us is called to be like the trees in these verses: rooted in God’s Word, resilient in trials, and bearing fruit that blesses others. The tree that is me is a work in progress—ever growing and becoming in Him.

Jesus, You are the vine, and I am Your branch. May the tree that is me—whether a mighty oak of righteousness, a majestic cedar planted in Your courts, or even a humble bamboo swaying in the winds of Your Spirit—exist for Your glory.