It is alleged that Martin Luther once said “If I believed the world were to end tomorrow, I would still plant a tree today.”
That statement cannot actually be traced back to Martin Luther – as is often the case with quotes that we find today – but it is a profound statement regardless of origin.
In fact, it has become a life philosophy for me in recent years.
At first glance it may seem like the best question to ask is, “Why?” There was a prominent radio preacher named J. Vernon McGee who asked this very question when he said, “Why polish brass on a sinking ship?”
It is often the case that as we look at the world around us we find ourselves discouraged by what we see. This isn’t a difference between conservative and liberal. It is a problem on both sides of the aisle. It also seems to plague the religious and secular alike.
The progressive typically tries to solve the eschatological problems by slowing down the inevitable end when the sun consumes us. They slow down the climate catastrophe by regressive policies that restrict the alleged damage caused by man. The conservative typically tries to explain the problem by suggesting that the immorality of man is bringing about the annihilation of the earth and/or the fall of our nation. Their solution is to simply slow down the progressive agenda which they declare unrighteous.
With the expectation of impending doom, you may ask yourself why anyone would adopt a worldview that suggests that we should plant a tree anyway. I’ll grant that it seems like a fair question and I would like to offer a few reasons.
First, one can seldom find any happiness without the expectation of reward. Second, your children are on the ship. Third, humanity was expected and commanded to have dominion, not to retreat or cower.
Fourth, maybe the ship isn’t actually sinking.
I would like to suggest a couple of things. I have no problem saying that we should slow down the sinful behavior of man through legislation and consequence. In this regard, I am a typical conservative Christian.
However, I would like to suggest to the conservative audience a few things. The progressive movement needs no help in eliminating itself. With the current gender theories and biological science they are pushing, we need not worry about the procreation of the progressives. The only true worries are whether they can propagate their ideologies to your children or not.
The conservative who wants to solve our problem needs not to spend the majority of their time expecting politicians to solve the problem today. The conservative Christian should not be asking why we should plant trees, but rather how we plant them and what kind of fruit they will bear.
Our trees should be planted through education. They should bear the fruit of gratitude for our privilege, of love for our neighbor, a love of liberty, hope for the future and most importantly of the knowledge of God. These are the fruits that created our nation and made it exceptional.
Jeremy Wiggins writes a bi-weekly column for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, jeremywiggins87@gmail.com.