Tie a Rope to a Tree

"Tie your shoelaces to my shoelaces I'll tie a rope to a tree"

These are lyrics to a song my mom likes. She manages to work these lyrics into normal conversation on a semiregular basis. I had never really thought about them before, probably because she always gets the words wrong, but I found myself thinking about them the other day. I had been hanging out with a friend and he was encouraging me to consider doing something. It wasn't something bad, and he meant well, but it contradicted what I believed I was supposed to be doing at the time. Needless to say, my head started spinning. But then I surprised myself, I was able to stop myself just before going into a tailspin and remember what God had told me on the subject. I spoke to my mom and felt much better after that. I thanked her for keeping me tied to all the right things and that's when I realized the importance of these lyrics.

"Tie your shoelaces to my shoelaces, I'll tie a rope to a tree"

To me, the tree represents my morals, my faith, God. It's a symbol of stability and all the things I should never let go of, no matter what anyone else says. And I need to stay tied to that tree. When I feel like my hands are slipping, I need to go back and strengthen my grip. The rope is my family and friends, the people who keep me tied to those morals, and to God.

We have little control over what storms will threaten our hold. There will be times when we will be blowing so violently around that tree, lost in the temptations of the world, that we get dangerously close to letting go completely, lost in the storm. There will be other times where it is so calm and sunny that we may find ourselves just... Wandering off. It is easy to lose sight of the important things when everything is going well.

I don't know what The Choir intended the song to mean exactly, but I know what this line means to me. And it's reminded me that we can't stop ourselves from blowing around in the inevitable storm, but as long as we are strong enough to hold on to what’s important, that tree will keep us from blowing away completely. And for that reason, I will strengthen my grip and enjoy the ride!