Green and Growing
- Hannah Tekle
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Tents of Mercy Congregation
Kiryat Yam, Israel
There’s an expression in Hebrew: “to wash your eyes with green” (lishtof et ha’einayim b’yarok). It means to look at beautiful natural views and feel renewed inside. In the rainy winter season, Israel’s hills and valleys become a living canvas of green. After the long brown summer, the land erupts into luscious, extravagant shades of life.
The Bible often uses trees from this very landscape to describe the spiritual life of a person.
Consider the willow of the brook (*aravei nachal*). Psalm 1 paints a vivid picture: “…He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.” Willows grow near a constant water source. The lesson is simple: spiritual vitality depends on staying close to the Source. When life becomes dry, when pressures mount, the answer is not to wander but to draw nearer to God.
In contrast, the tamarisk (*eshel*) thrives where there is no visible water at all. Abraham planted a tamarisk in Beersheba (Genesis 21:33), at the edge of the desert. This tree survives harsh, dry conditions by drawing moisture from the air itself. It teaches a different but complementary lesson: there are seasons in life when obvious sources of encouragement are absent. Prayers feel unanswered, circumstances feel barren. In those times, we learn to draw from what cannot be seen. Faith becomes the moisture in the air. The tamarisk reminds us that growth is still possible, even when the landscape of our lives feels desolate.
The acacia (*shita*), from which the Tabernacle was built (Exodus 25:10), is known for its deep root system that pulls water from far beneath the surface. The Israelites carried the presence of God in a structure made from this desert tree. The lesson: a shallow root system cannot sustain a person through difficulty. Only those who send their roots deep into God’s Word and character can endure the long, hot seasons of life. What is hidden below the surface determines what is visible above it.
Then there is the Jerusalem pine (*oren*). Its pine cones open and release seeds in extreme heat. Fire and pressure are not the end of the pine’s life cycle—they are conditions that enable new growth. This mirrors Romans 5:3–4: “Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Some seeds in our lives only open in seasons of intense pressure. Trials do not merely test us; they release future growth.
What a beautiful thing that the trees are all green but each with its own unique shade and unique message about growth, vitality, and fruitfulness. So it is with people. God did not design us for a single set of perfect conditions. He designed us to grow in many environments—beside streams, in deserts, in deep soil, and even in fire. The challenges we face are not obstacles to growth but invitations to develop deeper roots, stronger faith, and closer dependence on Him.
When we “wash our eyes with green,” we are reminded that growth is God’s intention for both nature and humanity. The trees become a living parable. Like the willow, we must stay near the Source. Like the tamarisk, we must learn to draw from unseen faith. Like the acacia, we must send our roots deep. Like the Jerusalem pine, we must allow pressure to open what lies dormant.
Green is the color of a life that refuses to wither. It is the evidence of a person who, regardless of conditions, continues to grow toward the destiny God has planted within them.
Now, at the height of the winter green, we are getting ready for our Passover Food Basket Project - actively filling our warehouses with goods to be distributed to 900 needy households in our city. We are only able to do this because of partnership with friends like you.
