I was walking through our neighborhood park this fall, just trying to clear my head before another crazy day. You know how it is – sometimes you need those few minutes where it’s just you and the trees and maybe a squirrel or two judging your life choices.
That’s when I saw it. Four trees, standing side by side, but two were clearly leaning. One had partly fallen. However, two other trees were severely tilted, a position where gravity’s victory was inevitable. But here’s the thing – the other tree was holding it up. Literally supporting its neighbor, keeping it from crashing down.
I stopped right there on the path and pulled out my phone. Something about that image just grabbed my heart. Maybe it was because I’d been feeling like that leaning tree lately, barely holding on myself. But there it was – this perfect picture of what we all need sometimes. A friend who won’t let us fall.
The Weight We Carry Alone
We all have those seasons when we’re the leaning tree, don’t we? Life just keeps piling on – work deadlines that make you question your sanity, family drama that never seems to end, health scares that wake you up in the middle of the night, bills that multiply like rabbits when you’re not looking.
That feeling when you’re barely holding on and you know one more thing – just one more phone call, one more crisis, one more anything – might topple everything you’ve been trying so hard to keep together.
I think about that paralyzed man in the Bible who couldn’t get to Jesus on his own. Can you imagine the weight he carried? Not just the physical weight of a body that wouldn’t work, but the emotional weight of feeling completely helpless. Day after day, watching life happen around him while he sat there, unable to participate, unable to fix his own situation.
His friends saw that weight. They saw him struggling, saw him stuck, and they did something absolutely crazy. They literally tore through a roof to get him to Jesus. A roof! They climbed up on someone’s house, started ripping apart tiles and beams, and lowered their friend down through the ceiling.
But here’s what gets me – sometimes we think we have to be strong enough to handle everything ourselves. Our culture loves to sell us this myth of self-sufficiency. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Be your own hero. Don’t burden anyone else with your problems.
That’s such a dangerous lie. Even trees in a forest lean on each other during storms. The strongest oak trees have root systems that intertwine with their neighbors. They share nutrients through underground networks. They literally hold each other up when the wind gets too strong.
Yet somehow we’ve convinced ourselves that needing help makes us weak. That asking for support means we’re failing. That being the leaning tree is something to be ashamed of instead of something that just makes us human.
The Friend Who Holds You Up
But God designed us to need each other. It’s not weakness – it’s wisdom. It’s exactly how He planned for love to show up in our lives.
The supporting tree doesn’t judge the leaning one. It doesn’t give lectures about better root systems or stronger branches. It just stands firm and holds steady. That’s what real friendship looks like in the hard seasons.
How do you recognize these “tree friends” God has placed in your life? Sometimes it’s the friend who shows up with dinner when you haven’t asked but she knows you’re drowning. The one who doesn’t need an explanation, doesn’t need the whole story – she just brings lasagna and paper plates and tells you to sit down.
Sometimes it’s your sister who lets you cry on the phone for the third time this week about the same thing. She doesn’t tell you to get over it or offer solutions you’ve already tried. She just listens and says, “I know, honey. I know.”
Or that coworker who quietly covers your shift when life gets overwhelming. The neighbor who brings in your mail without being asked. The friend who texts you Bible verses at exactly the moment you need to remember God hasn’t forgotten you.
Even Jesus needed this kind of support. In Gethsemane, He asked His friends to stay awake with Him while He prayed. He needed their presence in His darkest hour. And when He couldn’t carry His cross anymore, Simon stepped in and carried it for Him.
If Jesus needed people to hold Him up, why do we think we should be any different?
And here’s the beautiful thing – being the supporting tree for someone else when you’re strong enough is just as sacred. When you’re the one with steady roots and strong branches, you get to be God’s hands and feet for someone who’s struggling.
It’s not always dramatic roof-tearing moments. Sometimes it’s just showing up. Being present. Staying steady when someone else’s world is shaking.
Rooted Together
That photo is still on my phone, and I look at it almost every day now. It reminds me that we’re not meant to stand alone in this life. God plants us in community for a reason – we’re stronger together.
Next time you’re the leaning tree, let someone hold you up. It’s not giving up or giving in – it’s accepting the gift of friendship that God wants to give you through other people.
And next time you’re strong enough to be the supporting tree, don’t hesitate. Be the friend who holds steady. Be the one who doesn’t let someone fall.
Both roles are sacred. Both are necessary. Both are exactly how God’s love shows up in the ordinary moments of our everyday lives.