A few years after my wife and I had married, my folks
began to get a little concerned about the possibility of the tree falling down
during a winter storm. They finally gave
in to the nagging thought, and much to my sorrow, they had the tree cut down,
although they did not have the stump removed.
Well, wouldn’t you know! Within a
short period of time they had two smaller renditions of the tree growing out
from that stump! Over the ensuing years
up to the present time, those two shoots have grown until they both tower over
the house and have resumed the place as the centerpiece of the yard.
Coast Redwoods are some of the oldest living and tallest
trees in the world. But they differ a
little from other trees in that they have a shallow root system given the great
height of their canopies. They have no
tap root and have other roots that may reach no deeper than 6-12 feet. The major roots are about one inch in
diameter and typically spread out horizontally for approximately 50 – 80 feet. In the Redwood forests the trees grow close
together, intermingling their root systems, which gives them the ability to
stand and grow for hundreds of years!
So why all this info about Redwood Trees? Well, I came across a couple of scriptures
this morning that talked about the need for Christians to “Sink your roots in him…” (Colossians 2:7 God’s Word ©) and all my
love for Redwoods with their unique qualities and beauty popped into my mind! The idea of my roots intermingling with His,
to the point that they become one and the same is vividly represented at the
sight of a majestic grove of Redwoods.
There is a tree that fell many years ago at Richardson
Grove State Park, where we went camping just about every summer when I was
young, that is now a display piece on one of the many self-guided hikes in the
park. One of the park’s historians had tagged
the naturally occurring yearly rings on a cross section of the tree’s stump
with the descriptions of many of the important historical events that occurred when
the tree was still standing. The only
one that I remember was a notation near the center of the tree that marked a
time when King Charlemagne (742-814), the emperor of Europe, had won a major
battle! If I recall correctly, that tree had come down
during a winter storm in the late 1950’s or early 60’s. To say the least, it had stood for a long
time!
That is the same kind of stability that we, as believers
in the Lord Jesus, can have as we continuously sink our roots into His! As we become one with Him, we are established
on a foundation that cannot be “driven
with the wind and tossed” (James 1:16 KJV)
Take a moment and think about how many winter storms, hot summers, and
various floods that frequent the northern California Redwood Grove areas that
that tree withstood over the hundreds of years that it reached it majestic
canopy toward the heavens!
Now, compare that to all the storms, dry seasons and
floods in your own life that you have and will continue to successfully live
through in Christ. In Him, you have a well-founded,
unshakeable root system that gives you the ability to keep on - keeping on - no matter what may come across your path in
this life! Have a great day. Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking
yourself… “What am I expecting today?”
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