#I posted a clearer version on dA. But I'm not sure if tumblr would like that version. (or even this vague version actually)

[asjjohnson]

A parable came to my mind this morning.

There is a tree. And branches occasionally break from this tree.

Nature can be harsh, and a branch can break from many things: maybe weight, or high wind, or freezing rain, or a creature gnawing through the branch. But, whatever the cause is, it still leads to the branch being disconnected from the tree.

A branch has no way of reconnecting itself. It can only lie there and die of thirst.

There is a gardener, who carefully trims the branch and reattaches it to the tree, wrapping it so that it will not fall off again.

If the branch doesn't reach for the water in the tree (no matter what the gardener does for it), it will still suffer of thirst, wither, and die.

But if the reattached branch reaches for the living water of the tree, it will live, strengthen, and grow together with the tree.