The Tree Has Fallen - What’s In Your Past And Still Bringing You Down

Have you ever wanted to go back and change something that simply cannot be changed?

Maybe it was a decision, a relationship, a mistake, something someone said to you, or something you wish someone had said but never did. Solomon writes, “A tree can fall to the north or south, but it will stay where it falls.” (Ecclesiastes 11:3, NCV)

In the original Hebrew, the picture is very simple: wherever the tree falls, there it lies. Once it has fallen, reality has changed. You may wish it had fallen differently, but you cannot stand there forever hoping it will somehow rise back up.

I remember wanting an apology from my Dad for breaking up our family. I wanted him to acknowledge what had happened and the hurt it caused. But then he died. I was angry, and underneath that anger were insecurities and wounds that had been there for years. The apology I wanted was never going to come. The tree had fallen.

My Dad had died, and I had to face the fact that I could either stay angry over something that could no longer be changed, or I could rely on God to help me deal with the anger, the insecurity, and the pain. I had to move forward.

That is part of what Solomon is teaching. Some things in life become fixed realities. You cannot undo them. You cannot go back and rewrite them. You cannot force another person to make it right, especially when that opportunity is gone. But you can decide what you are going to do with what happened.

Solomon continues, “Those who wait for perfect weather will never plant seeds; those who look at every cloud will never harvest crops.” (Ecclesiastes 11:4, NCV) In other words, life will never give us perfect conditions. If we wait for everything to be resolved before we move forward, we may never move at all.

Maybe your fallen tree is a divorce, a betrayal, a lost opportunity, a financial mistake, a broken friendship, or a child who has made choices you never wanted them to make. You may not be able to change what happened, but you can still repent (change) where you need to repent, forgive where you need to forgive, seek healing where you need healing, and trust God with what you cannot repair.

Ecclesiastes 11:6 says, “Plant your seed in the morning, and keep working in the evening, because you don’t know which will succeed.” (NCV)

That is the life-changing lesson. The tree may have fallen, but your life is not over. You do not need to keep staring at what cannot be changed. God can help you deal with what it did to your heart, and He can still lead you forward.

Sometimes maturity is simply saying, “I cannot change what happened, but I can decide what I do next.” The tree has fallen. Now plant something good and move forward.

Lord, some are fighting their past. Help them see the healing they need and the need to move on. Help them heal, grow, and then help others who are still struggling. IJNIP, amen. ♥️