Column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Their sturdy trunks and branches might bend on windy days, but they will likely survive the storm.

Pine, spruce, Italian Cypress, Southern magnolias, palm trees. Not all evergreen trees are related or look alike. They come from different families of trees and grow in varied types of soils. But if you travel overseas, you realize that, outside desert terrain, every land bears a one kind of evergreen tree or another.

Last fall, during our 25th anniversary trip, my husband and I visited countries across the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. As we cruised the breathtaking views, I noticed many landscapes withering from the bright colors usually displayed during high spring and summertime. Winter slowly crept into the foliage as once-bright and colorful trees and flowers faded.

Evergreens do not depend on the seasons or good weather to thrive. Unlike deciduous trees that shed their leaves every autumn, they stand firm through the harshest winters. Their sturdy trunks and branches may might bend on windy days, but they will likely survive the storm when foliage around them breaks.

Aging with Purpose

In the Bible, evergreen trees often represent God’s eternal love, unchanging nature, and steadfast provision. Likewise, Old Testament authors use evergreen trees, particularly palm and cedar trees, as metaphors for a righteous person.

The imagery assigns to a godly individual the same strength, resilience and steadfast faith as displayed in trees that remain unchanged, regardless of the season, terrain or circumstance.

One particular Bible passage came to mind during my latest podcast interview last month. Traditionally ascribed to King David, the verses are found in the 92nd Psalm:

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree; they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.

“They will still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.’”

My guest that day was New York Times bestselling author Dr. Mark Rutland, and we met to discuss his new book, “Keep On Keeping On: How to Die Young … as Old as Possible.”

Rutland is the founder of Global Servants and served as senior pastor of Calvary Assembly in Orlando, Florida,, FL, and president of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. He has authored written 20 books and traveled as a missionary evangelist around the world, founding ministries in Ghana and Thailand.

At 76, with a prolific career as an author, evangelist and pastor, one would say Rutland has earned the right to slow down. But that is not in the books for this energetic man of God — quite the opposite. At an age when many people question their relevance and purpose, Rutland offers a refreshing perspective on aging.

In “Keep on On Keeping On,” Rutland’s insightful viewpoint reminds me of the imagery of an evergreen tree.

Filled with laugh-out-loud passages and heartwarming perspective, the book is an invitation to transform the reader’s perspective on aging and embrace the (inevitable) golden years gracefully and with God-given purpose: from resenting the wrinkles, aches and pains to striving to cultivate inner beauty and purposefully cultivate steadfast faith through every season and storm.

Likewise, Rutland wishes to inspire readers to view aging not as an inevitable burden, but as an exciting opportunity to give oneself more freely to a world that desperately needs God’s love and the wisdom that can only be acquired with age.

“Evergreen. That’s what I want to be.”

I said the words aloud as I finished praying and gathering my thoughts to write this column.

Like Rutland, I don’t want to become a bitter soul when life’s winter comes. I want to be like the evergreen — rooted in God’s promises, fruitful in every season, standing firm until the day he calls me home.