Pine

“It was November—the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds,
deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines.
Anne roamed through the pineland alleys and
let that great sweeping wind blow the fogs out of her soul.”
~Anne of the Island, L.M. Montgomery~

Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail,
but they will bear fresh fruit every month…
Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.
~Ezekiel 47:12~

I have a haven such as is described above, where I literally walk on some “healing leaves” that are strewn across the forest floor. Referred by early explorers and sailors as the tree of life, the white pine was useful in replenishing vitamin C to prevent scurvy.
We don’t generally see physical symptoms of this disease in our time and culture, but I am prone to believe that many of us suffer from an “emotional scurvy” of sorts. “Don’t be unwise enough to think that we are serving God best by constant activity at the cost of headaches and broken rest. I am getting to be of the opinion that we may be doing too much” (John Kenneth Mackenzie). If we don’t first replenish the vitamins of our soul, we’re more likely to act in the flesh versus the wisdom of God.
Not only can being over-committed exhaust us, but learning to have emotional boundaries is imperative, as well, for our hearts. When we are in the midst of extenuating circumstances without opportunity to recalibrate, restore, and replenish our souls, it becomes harder to resist “picking up” offenses. My stressed margins plus your stressed margins can equal exposure to each other’s toxic wounds, and misunderstandings can result in offense.
The truth is, I am responsible for monitoring my inner world, and if I am to move forward and grow, I must resist the temptation to rehearse wounds and resist the urge to take personal responsibility for someone else’s interior discontent (Alicia Britt Chole, The Sacred Slow, p. 186), which can lead to emotional overload. I believe one healthy step we can take is to first acknowledge that our perception of a given situation may be out of harmony with the actual intentions of others. Only when we have arrived at a kingdom perspective can we offer a healthy response.
There will always be a need in front of us just waiting for someone to step in and “save the day.” As we walk with the Lord, we must be able to look at the thing in front of us and say, “Yes, that is a need, but it is not for me to pick up at this time.” Conversely, we must learn to recognize when we have picked up others’ offenses. We must learn to take responsibility for the health of our own soul as well as acknowledge when we have had “stinking thinking.”
Anne had the right idea when she went on a walk and allowed the wind to “blow the fogs out of her soul.” You have to give space to your soul in order to “Heal so that you can hear what is being said without the filter of your wounds” (Dr. Thema Bryant).
Blow out the fogs of your soul and gather healing pine needles for a nutritive tea from the white pine. A convenient mnemonic to help you identify this variety of pine tree is that there are five needles per bundle and five letters in the word “white”; however, do cross-reference your source while growing familiar with this conifer. Older needles have more vitamin C and more piney flavor. Cut up old and young needles. Boiling will destroy the vitamin C, so steep the chopped or bruised needles in steaming water for 10-15 minutes. Filter out the needles. Mild flavor chock-full of vitamin C.