At the end of our street is where the Grape Tree grows. The Grape Tree is an old oak that has been overtaken by a grape vine that produces wonderfully sweet grapes each year.
The little town where we live is one of those historic gold-mining towns that sprang up in the 1850’s and then died as the center of commerce and transportation shifted. The death of our little town is actually what preserved it so that today thousands of tourists can visit and experience a piece of history.
The grape vine that feeds the Grape Tree is old and massive. In fact, the trunk of the grape vine is as large as some of the trees in the forest. I met the out-of-town owner of this property once and asked him about the grape vine. He said the property used to be part of the original homestead. The grape vine was planted by those first settlers in the late 1800’s.
What is amazing to realize is that each year hundreds of pounds of grapes are suspended in the branches of the Grape Tree. People driving by rarely see the grapes, but they are there year-after-year. Those who walk close to this tree do a double take because grapes aren’t supposed to grow on trees.
I think the Grape Tree is a picture of how God wants to work in our lives. Our lives, like this tree, are simply supporting structures upon which God hangs the blessing of His fruitfulness. Grape Trees are like those people who realize they are called to bear the goodness of God for those who would pass by. Those of us who walk by this kind of life receive a blessing because we get to taste the goodness of God.
This morning as I finished my daily walk, I detoured to make sure I passed by the Grape Tree. I reached up and picked a cluster of sweet grapes and used them to refresh me on the last leg of my walk home. I think if the Grape Tree had emotions, it would feel good about what was happening in its branches. There are many other oak trees in this grove, but only one bears the grapes and that makes the Grape Tree very unique.
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