I Have No Idea What This Vision Means!

Last week I mentioned the pine cone vision. As I was praying one night, I saw a mental picture of myself reaching in a paper bag, pulling out a pine cone, and giving it to my wife.

Not everything we may see on the screen of our mind is God speaking to us. Yet I’ve learned that God does often speak in this way. I’ve had some amazing experiences where God showed me things I couldn’t have known naturally through an image in my mind. Once I saw a rainbow-colored angel with my natural eyes. It’s really cool to see a vision with your natural eyes, but the fact that a vision is more subtle doesn’t mean it is less accurate or detailed. In fact, it can sometimes be even more so.

I was pretty sure that this picture of handing my wife a pine cone was a vision from God. I just had no idea what it meant!

I looked up “pine cone symbolism” on the internet. I found all kinds of occultic meanings related to Eastern religions, the staff of Osiris, and other things I want nothing to do with! I didn’t realize how heavily the occult used pine cones as a symbol! Frustrated and a bit bothered by all the occult stuff, I decided to pray about it more and I asked some Christian friends for their thoughts.

Evergreen Life

I soon learned that the pine cone was also an early Christian symbol—for eternal life. The first scripture I think of when I think of eternal life is John 17:3

John 17:3 (NRSV) And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

The Bible tells us we are to “grow in the knowledge of God.” This admonition combined with John 17:3 tells me that eternal life starts now—not after we die. As we grow in the knowledge of God we will manifest eternal life on this earth and in this life.

As I was meditating on that, I came across a related question on Quora. The question was “Why is the Christian conception of the afterlife spoken of as “eternal life” as opposed to “immortal life”?” 

I thought of the pine tree. An evergreen tree is green and thrives in every season. Psalm 1 says that the person who delights in God’s law is like a tree whose leaf does not wither. Psalm 92:12 says that “The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” Palms and cedars are both evergreen trees! “Evergreen life” isn’t determined by outside circumstances or the weather at the moment.

Quoting from my answer on Quora: A person who knows God can have joy and be full of life no matter what the season. “Eternal life” is immortality, but it is more than that. It is also “Evergreen life.”

Of course, we all know Christians who don’t demonstrate joy in every season. But the Bible says we are “growing in the knowledge of God.” (2 Peter 3:18) That joy in every season doesn’t happen automatically, but it is something we can grow into experiencing as we get to know God.

I do know people who demonstrate this “evergreen life.” Whatever is going on all around them doesn’t change their joy, their life, or who they are. They walk in love in every circumstance.

The story of Betsy Ten Boom in prison and in a concentration camp is a great example of a Christian demonstrating “evergreen life” in this life.

The Trial Reveals The Life Of Christ In You!

As I was meditating on this, one of my friends noted that a pine cone contains one of the few seeds that require extreme heat to be released. Fire opens pine cones, releasing the seeds. My friend asked if we were facing trials. I said “Yes!” 

I started reading about it and learned that some pine cones only release their seeds in fire. Others eventually release their seeds when they dry, but fire releases them more quickly.

Like some other seeds, pine nuts also require a stratification process of passing through a cold winter period before they will germinate.

Suffering And Glory!