Planting Trees in Frightening Times
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce… seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you.” — Book of Jeremiah 29:5–7
A rabbi once told a story that people have carried through centuries of upheaval.
Someone asked him a frightening question.
“What should a person do if they knew the world would end tomorrow?”
It was not a philosophical question. It was the kind of question people ask when history begins to feel unstable. When wars spread. When leaders make decisions that place millions of lives at risk. When the future no longer feels dependable.
The rabbi did not dismiss the fear. He did not say the person was exaggerating. He did not rush to reassure them that everything would be fine.
He simply answered.
“Then today,” he said, “you should plant a tree.”
At first the answer sounds strange. If the world ends tomorrow, why plant anything at all? Why place something fragile into the soil if there may be no future to receive it?
But the rabbi understood something about the human soul.
When people begin to believe the future is lost, they stop tending life. They stop caring for the earth. They stop caring for one another. Fear slowly shrinks the boundaries of their humanity.
The rabbi refused to let fear have that power.
Plant a tree.
Plant it even if the news grows darker.
Plant it even if leaders act recklessly.
Plant it even if the future feels uncertain.
Plant it because tending life is who you are.
Many people I speak with right now are carrying grief. You can feel it in conversations. You can feel it in the quiet pauses when people try to describe what this moment feels like. War does that. Even when the bombs fall far away, our spirits know something sacred has been broken.
Grief is not weakness. Grief is what love feels like when life is threatened.
But grief can slip into despair. St. Thomas Aquinas taught that despair was the most dangerous of all human conditions. Despair tells us a dangerous lie: that nothing we do matters anymore.
The rabbi knew better.
Plant a tree.
Plant a tree because compassion still matters.
Plant a tree because truth still matters.
Plant a tree because the future—even an uncertain future—is still worthy of care.
This is the same wisdom the prophet Jeremiah gave to a people who believed their world had collapsed. Jerusalem had fallen. Their leaders had failed them. They were living in exile under an empire they did not trust.
And the prophet told them something surprising.
Build houses.
Plant gardens.
Seek the welfare of the place where you live.
In other words: keep tending life.
Good religion has always known this truth. We cannot control the great movements of history. None of us can stop the machinery of war alone. But we are not powerless.
We can decide who we will be while history unfolds around us.
We can keep loving our neighbors.
We can keep telling the truth.
We can keep protecting the vulnerable.
We can keep tending the earth.
We can keep planting trees.
We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But we know who we are called to be today.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
What grief are you carrying as you watch the events unfolding in the world right now?
When fear about the future begins to grow, what helps you remain rooted in compassion and courage?
What might it look like for you to “plant a tree” in this moment—to do something that tends life even in uncertain times?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer for Steadiness
God of life, The world feels fragile right now. War spreads. Fear grows. Many hearts are heavy with grief. Hold us steady in this moment. Help us remember that love still matters. That compassion still matters. That the work of tending life still matters. Give us courage to keep planting seeds of goodness— in our communities, in our relationships, in the fragile future we cannot yet see. Let fear not shrink our hearts. Teach us to live with faithfulness in uncertain times. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Plant a Tree
Today, choose one act that invests in life.
If possible, plant something. A tree, a flower, a seed in the soil. Let the act remind you that hope is not a feeling. Hope is a practice.
If planting is not possible, choose another life-giving act:
Offer encouragement to someone who is struggling.
Support work that protects life and dignity.
Spend time in nature and remember that the earth continues to renew itself.
Do something kind for a neighbor.
Each act says the same thing: Fear will not decide how I live.
In frightening times, faithfulness looks like planting trees.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. At the moment, I am leading a book study on Brian McLaren’s book, Life After Doom, on Tuesdays. Join the community here.
March 17, 23, 31 and April 7, 2026, 7-8:30pm ET - Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox and I will be hosting another 4-part series on “Visions for the Common Good.” This series will include sessions with David Abrams, Randy Woodley and Lynne Twist! All sessions are recorded, and you will get the link if you can’t make it. Learn more here.
March 26, 2026, 7–8:30pm ET – FREE WEBINAR - I will be joined by Ruth Dearnley, OBE, Founder and President of Stop the Traffik in London (see her TED Talk), for a critical conversation titled “Stop the Exploitation of Children: Disrupting Modern Slavery at Its Source.” As Board Chair of Stop the Traffik USA, this work is deeply personal to me. We cannot rescue our way out of trafficking; we must prevent exploitation by disrupting the systems and financial flows that profit from vulnerability — and congregations have a vital role to play. Ruth will share how technology is exposing trafficking networks and will highlight what cities like Philadelphia are learning, including insights related to the World Cup. All who register will receive the recording. Learn more and register here.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
From my friend, Logan Bennett: With The Revolutionary Love Project, I’m hosting an immersive weekend retreat at La Foret in Colorado Springs (my ministry site). This isn’t a conference. It’s not protest training. It’s formation—the kind that helps us stay human and spiritually grounded while still being clear-eyed and brave. Rooted in the practice of Revolutionary Love (from the Revolutionary Love Project / Valarie Kaur’s work), this weekend is for people who want to meet rising authoritarianism, polarization, and overwhelm without losing our softness, our courage, or our joy. Link:https://www.laforet.org/events/adults/revolutionary-love-in-an-age-of-uncertainty
The need for us to persevere and contribute grows ever more challenging as the horror and cruelty escalates, created by leaders with “malevolent incompetence.” Dr. Margaret Wheatley is offering a “Bundle for Good” for shipping within the U.S. She will send you seven copies of Perseverance, and one copy of her book of poems, Opening to the World as It Is. She’s including the poetry book as another means to support you personally. You can learn more here.
The Convergence Music Project is hosting a songwriting event on March 19-21, 2026 in Nashville. No songwriting experience is required, so feel warmly welcome even if you've never written a song before. There will be plenty of content also to further educate, inspire, and develop the gifts of advanced songwriters as well. Learn more.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
Love this. My father in law planted fruit trees when he was in his early 90’s knowing full well he would not live to see them bear fruit.
All winter I’ve been witnessing an old, diseased pear orchard be pulled up, soil sitting fallow then being prepared for new trees. Peaches this time. Your post puts it in a beautiful perspective. I wonder what I can plant myself. Thank you! 🙏