“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of Adonai shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
– Psalm 92:12-15
“Can I put you in the jungle?” asked my friend, a dear missionary brother, Mike Edwards. Mike had lived in Guatemala and in Belize for years.
While pastoring a church in Belmopan, Belize, Mike wanted to reach out to area villages and leaders for a conference on children’s ministry and asked me to come help. Under normal circumstances, I’d be all in…but can he put me in the jungle?? What would that even mean? Would I sleep in a hammock in the trees while monkeys go through my suitcase?? Should I pack for a three-hour tour? Would I stay in a hut with Ginger and Mary Anne? Is there refridgeration there, or would I drink from coconuts and eat bananas and swim in the lagoon?? I mean, how much bug spray should I bring?!
As it turned out in those years, there were not too many rooms for rent, and I hesitate to call them hotels. So to host my stay, Mike had another friend in mind, Peggy, whose home on acreage in the jungle would accommodate me. My imagination conjured up all kinds of things that would go bump in the night outside her house, and I knew there would be no running to the 7-11 for anything once settled -- but my sense of adventure prevailed and I agreed! Oh, the life changing experience of that stay in the jungle…
Driving to Peggy’s was the first adventure, flying into Belize City, seeing the beautiful cayes in the emerald sea, driving through the city and countryside seeing all kinds of culture…then driving through Belmopan, a developing city trying to protect government business far from the hurricanes that often whipped the coastline. But then we drove on past villages like Roaring Creek and Tea Kettle. We turned off the main highway onto a gravel road that persisted for miles, and finally came to a gate that led us deep into the jungle. A worn path brought us up to the house atop a mountain where you could stand above the lush jungle and see below to the river. Two handsome German shepherds greeted the car and seemed to know we were okay to let into the garage.
The days in Belize, the conference, the people and the children we met, were all truly amazing and are burned into my memory banks. But the day to day drinking in of that vastly rich jungle, having coffee in the mornings facing the scenery, was worth every moment to come to know this truth: Everything thrives in the right environment.
Outside the house was just enough ‘yard’ to walk around in, garden like, cool and peaceful even in the humidity, before the rolling jungle took over around the perimeter. I had never seen trees so tall and stately, so broad in their trunks and far-flung in their branches, no branch having to twist or contort to get enough sunlight. The plants she had growing in the flower bed weren’t just a couple feet tall. No, they bloomed and soared to the rooftop of a three-story view, from the basement to the living level, and up to the second story bedroom and studio space that overlooked all the diverse beauty. These ‘garden variety plants’ cost about $15 at the local big-box garden department and do well here if they survive a few summers and winters before you must replace them, growing about as high as a yardstick… but hers so loved the environment they were in that they rewarded her and themselves with superior growth.
The trees in the jungle were fascinating – their branches so broad and healthy that entire yucca plants grew in them. Yes, ON the branch! Each tree seemed to generate enough life to sustain itself and many others, not to mention sheltering birds and other animal life needing a good home in the storms. One tree across from the house caught my eye…something beautiful was cascading down the bark so I walked over for a closer look. Without exaggeration I can tell you that she had sliced off little blooms of orchids and simply pinned them TO the tree with straight pins – and the entire front of the tree was covered in blooming beauty. That tree, again, so full of life, so nourished in the rich soil, abundant sunlight and with such air moisture and rainfall, had all it needed and then some, enough to cause flower after flower to thrive. Those orchids were truly in the right place, without potting soil and containers to restrict them.
My hosts there had a botanist come in to survey this amazing property just around the house, and he found and identified over 80 unique varieties of plant life and only got about half way around the house before he quit counting. Proof solid that everything thrives in the right environment. It wasn’t like my back yard – a tough place if you’re a tomato plant – THIS place could grow anything. In fact, just let a coconut fall from a tree, and within a day or so, it will have already taken root in the rich, black soil, bent on quickly growing another tree. I can assure this doesn’t happen on most farms with such ease. Atmosphere is everything.
At night, I would get up and walk down the hall to the bathroom that overlooked the river, which wasn’t visible in the daylight. But oh, at night, between all the trees and density, you could manage to see sparkling waters flowing. The movement of that river was visible in darkness thanks to the moonlight, and with the windows open, had such a peaceful sound that I learned not to be afraid of open windows at night in the jungle.
Lastly, my other unforgettable observation was in watching the hummingbirds, you know, the tiny things that work so hard in Arkansas, diving at one another in flight to ward off competition at those red feeders. They can be pretty territorial little creatures (and if you sweeten the water you give them, that ought to tell you what sugar will do!) But not so in the jungle. These hummingbirds weren’t tiny at all, some were almost the size of my hand, shining in fantastic colors, and gathered fifty or more at a time around the massive feeder hanging by the kitchen picture window. They were content to do so, not diving at each other, not buzzing in fly-bys to drive off competitors. Each one had its need met without threat or fear of loss.
This incredible environment demonstrated true wealth, a kind of prosperity for everything growing there, thanks to the combined elements of atmosphere – sunlight, soil, moisture, and temperature – in a balance that allowed the environment to spread out far and wide in its full capacity.
For the sake of time and brevity, let me offer a few life-lessons:
Good or bad, a combination of conditions in your environment is influencing life around you. Whether you know it, see it, or feel it, it's there - a climate, an atmosphere that is growing you in one direction or another. The ultimate climate change is the one inside you, then the one you find to intentionally live in.
Reset your environment by changing the atmosphere and recreate your 'dwelling place.' What makes you thrive? What do you love, enjoy, need, crave?
Identify the temperature of your home or workplace – what can you change? The Current is taking you – this leads to Drift – what can you do about it? Wow - SO much more to say about how drift affects what you stand for, what you speak up about.
Identify and Deal with what Depleats your environment – it does not take harsh argument to do so. What avoidable things create storm or imbalance? Things that drain you are often not your wheelhouse, or are for someone else to handle.
Here are a few things that directly affect your “atmosphere,” the soil of your heart and the hearts of others:
Your Gifts - the inherent thing that's your unique gift will heal and energize you as you share it. How you live to give, what you have to contribute - however small - will add the divine spark to a home or community. Don't hide your gift! Find meaningful ways in the right environment to express them.
Your Words - How many storms have kicked up from hostile words (read James 3)? How many relationships suffocate from lack of nourishing words of love and appreciation? Words are our breath of life or death in the lives of the people around us. [shameless promotion: get my minibook on Confessions for Raising Winning Kids]
Your Attitudes - Just like the nose of an aircraft, attitude determines altitude. We rise and fall by attitudes of contempt or of gratitude; we feed or rob the hearts of those around us by attitudes of insensitivity to others and hyper-sensitivity to ourselves. Humbling ourselves in the presence of God is the place where the greatest attitude adjustments are made.
Your Prayers - Prayers calm storms, warm or cool temperatures, change situations, change hearts, move laborers into action, draw angels into assignment. The sweet-smelling savor to the Lord and sacrifices that please Him come from prayers of the saints. James' epistle says "the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man [or woman] avails much, [Amplified version: making tremendous power available, dyamic in its working.]
Your Repentance - the hardest words to say are "I was wrong," and "I am sorry." - Not just "I'm sorry you feel that way," but "I am sorry for how I hurt or offended you." True sorrow for sin is personal, and is reflected personally to God in prayers of apology to Him, whether any human hears you or not. What an awesome way to 'clear the air.'
Your Obedience - the key to a win is mastering fundamentals and knowing the playbook; the key to a good life in God is in obeying His instructions. Our spiritual fathers showed faith by their steps of faith and obedience, whether they understood or not. The blessings of obedience are many, and are detailed througout Scripture.
In all these things, we do well to tap into the atmosphere of God, the Ahava of God - the breath of His love and life, and follow His lead. All of what He did, every word and act in creation, He did for the sake of Love. The whole Hebrew bible was summed up by our Rabbi & Master Yeshua when replying to a seeker who asked, “What’s the greatest commandment?” And maybe you’ve asked that too, “What’s the best thing I can do? What’s most important for me to know?”
“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and strength. This is the first and great commandment. And the second one is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Torah and Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
Living and walking in love may be the biggest 'upstream' way of life you can imagine. Immersing in His Words & Spirit in order to be a life-giving person will be the greatest stretch of your life, but can make all the difference in the life of someone else. Just pin a younger one to you and say, “Let’s walk together.” Then watch them start to bloom.
Messiah's kingdom and reign is promised to be a time and place of Israel's flourishing, of her land and people, from Jerusalem...with the nations coming to sit and learn because "God is in her..." This beautiful, flourishing finish is only the beginning. Oh! to be people like this now, trees of righteousness, stately and fruit-bearing into old age like our patriarchs, sharing a foretaste of the Messianic atmosphere where everything thrives. In the meantime, let's welcome and enjoy His Dwelling Presence by making room for Him in our lives and hearts.
Photo Credits: Thank you Abbie Kent for pictures from the Big Island in Hawaii, where she & husband Danny saw first hand how a nourishing, perfect environment causes everything to thrive! Top pictures: in lush Hawaii, ferns & flowers find ways to flourish even in rocks & branches!. These trees in such an amazing environment, like Belize and my jungle experience, prove they can grow anything!! Who doesn't love blue skies & beach environments! The hummingbird, courtesy of Wix, is the Sparkling Violetear (Colibri coruscans), a species of hummingbird widespread in the highlands of northern and western South America and in the Andes.
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