Taal Volcano erupted. People have been evacuated. Families have been displaced. Farms and fish pens have been damaged. Animals have been left behind. As of today, there are trees and plants still covered with ashes.
My farm in the southern part of
Silang, Cavite, which is about 13 kilometers away from the crater of Taal, was
not spared. More than 800 calamansi, avocado, pine, papaya, narra, coconut
trees were badly hit just like the rest of my neighbors. Before the eruption,
the happy colors of yellow, red, green and white surround the entire community.
After all, this part of Silang is famous for decorative trees and ornamental
plants used by landscaping architects and gardening enthusiasts. After the
eruption, scenes in this gloomy area depict some kind of apocalypse or
Armageddon. As it stands now, my farm can serve as a backdrop in any ghostly or
ghastly battle scene, just like in the movie Avengers:
Infinity War!
Relatedly, in one of their interesting podcasts, creators of The Bible Project, Timothy Mackie and Jonathan Collins, discussed the metaphorical idea that humans are like trees. They proffered that trees, as created, were mandated to be fruitful in the same way that humans were created in God’s image to be productive. In so many stories in the Bible, trees (fruit, seed, branch, root, forest, vine, leaf, fig, palm, olive) are most often mentioned just as much as humans. Trees are often written, perhaps, because of their cultural context when the Bible was written. But the main point of their discourse is that most of the Biblical names, stories, and parables are intimately related to trees, not by accident. From the very first stories about tree(s) in the Garden of Eden up until the tree in Golgotha (where Jesus was crucified), humans and trees are interdependent of each other. Some of the interesting contrasts between the two include that the first tree brought sin and death while the last tree brought life and salvation; that the first tree turned man out of eternity with God while the other tree is the path to eternity with God.
Adopting this idea and by way of analogy, let’s say that trees (and plants) in my farm are like humans. As a result of the Taal eruption, some of my trees (young calamansi) are likely beyond saving since their roots are not as deeply grounded as the others. Some died (papaya) soon upon impact since their leaves are not as resilient as the others. Others died (ube/purple yam) but not without producing crop underneath. Some will survive the volcanic ashfall but only after some deliberate washing and cleaning. In the same manner, humans whenever subjected to trials, some will perish while others will survive depending on the extent of their faith in God. The more grounded they are to the Word of God, the greater are their chances of seeing through these trials. In the Bible, James 1:2-4 tells us, “when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”
Some men may surrender to depression since their foundational relationship with Christ Jesus is not as strong (young calamansi). Some may perish but not without influencing others toward becoming believers (producing crop like an ube). To a certain extent, the proposition of Tim and Jon that humans are like trees are depicted by the different trees in my Silang farm. Resilience is largely dependent on hope and our hope is anchored on the Word of God.
Most of my trees in Silang will produce more fruits relying on the notion that volcanic ash can make the soil more fertile, eventually. Equally important is my belief that trials in life can only make us stronger. I have seen and heard testimonies about personal struggles which made such witnesses more productive in terms of inspiring others to believe in Him and share the good news. All the events and circumstances in our lives, especially the difficult ones, definitely impact how we can produce better “fruits” in the process.
Yes, humans are like trees. We were both created to bear fruit, in the literal and symbolical sense of the word. Symbolically, the fruits of the trees can be a greener, cleaner and safer environment whereas the fruits of humans can be a God-fearing, law-abiding and peace loving communities. I remain confident that these physical trees and the trees within us will eventually survive any ordeal that comes our way. Always remember, seeds grow to become trees depending on how we plant them and care for them. Let’s plant more seeds, both in our backyard, as well as in the hearts of others, to have better, stronger and healthier trees around us.
For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.