The fruit trees in my backyard are great teachers. They’ve shown me that in order to grow I must stretch myself into new territory, over and over again.

An apple tree, for instance, only grows new apples when it moves outward toward the sun and downward into the depths of the dark earth. Apples do not grow if the tree is permanently idol. It can rest in winter, certainly, but if it stops growing altogether, the tree is dead and no fruit will appear.

Of course, if a gust of wind comes along and blows the branches, the tree is not idol, it is moving. Yet wind does not make the tree grow apples. The only way a tree can grow apples is by stretching itself beyond where it’s been before.

The unfortunate reality of being a self-employed human being, and not an apple tree, is that we can fool ourselves into thinking we’re growing, when in fact we’re simply kicking up wind that gives the appearance of movement. We do this by engaging in the same activities every day, activities that seem like growth when in fact they are more like branches moving in the wind. Continue reading →