Branches Get Bigger Every Day

Can I share one more observation about that tree branch? This time, about the size of the branch, the size of the break in the tree, and the force of the wind that was necessary to break it.

In previous posts, I shared about the tree branch I recently saw while walking in the neighborhood. A strong storm had broken it off. It became an illustration of a couple of important life principles. I noted how positive things in our lives can die when they are disconnected from a life source. Good things die when we don’t feed them. And I also observed how negative things only die when they are genuinely disconnected from our lives.

Today, I returned to that photo of the broken branch and was struck by the size of the wound left in the tree. It was a good-sized branch. The simple fact of “the bigger the branch that is broken, the bigger the wound in the tree” seemed to stand out to me. Branches don’t start large. They start small. They are little sprouts that grow each day and become larger over time. Whether the branch illustrates a positive thing, as in my first article, or a negative thing, as in my second article, all branches start small and grow. Behaviors, traits, investments, and relationships start small and grow over time. The longer they grow, the bigger they become. 

Behaviors, whether good or bad, start small and grow into habits. Traits develop into character. Associations with people become relationships over time. Small deposits grow into investments. It’s a simple principle that is so often overlooked. That process is the active ingredient that will be added to every area of one’s life, and the process produces results. What is done consistently over time develops into something larger, and it is unwise to ignore that process.

The choices you are making right now are leading to some right or wrong decisions. We choose between buying a car or getting into consumer debt. We choose the friends we hang out with and what foods we eat. Those choices, consistently made over time, produce results. Little sprouts become big branches.

The good news is that we can be proactive about little branches before they become bigger. For example, we can establish our values and be aware of them early on. If you have not taken the time to write down your values and make them clear to yourself, I encourage you to do so. Values determine decisions. When your values are clear, your daily decisions become easier and clearer. Make your values clear because they will grow into big branches one decision at a time. 

We can also help the right branches grow in our lives by inviting other people into the growth process. Since consistent actions develop over time, make sure some wise people will speak into your life about your actions and your character, your strengths, and your weaknesses. People whom you meet with regularly, authors you read often, or speakers you listen to frequently will affect what branches you grow. Accountability relationships are also crucial to branch growth. Developing trust and vulnerability with wise friends can be essential to growing the right branches.

And think about what those little branches will become over time. Ask yourself what the long-term consequences of your daily actions will be. If you are getting into debt, what happens if you cannot pay? Are there consequences for inaction? If you are like me, you may be optimistic and only think about a good outcome of your decisions. But there is value in knowing the worst thing that can happen before you choose. This is true for big decisions. It is all the more true for consistent, smaller daily decisions. Remember, little branches get bigger every day.

Finally, the tree branch illustrates that the bigger a branch becomes, the more force necessary to remove it from the tree. A long season of negative habits or years of unwise choices produce branches that are large enough that it usually takes some crisis or perhaps a moral catastrophe to break that branch off. Those circumstances are always challenging to weather.

On the other hand, positive branches consistently nurtured over a long time will endure difficult storms. The more healthy the branch, the more time it has had to grow, and the stronger the storm has to be before that branch breaks. Good character and actions reinforced each day can and will last a lifetime.

Take a moment to think about this today: Branches get bigger each day.