Friday, March 26, 2010

Standing Fast




Today my family hiked through the California redwoods. It was an awesome hour-long hike ending at the beach with private access to some abundant, hidden tide pools.
I really enjoyed seeing how enormous most of the trees are (and I enjoyed giving them hugs, I love trees!) For hundreds of years they have stood fast to the ground where they sprouted. Scarred by fire, smitten by the wind, and pummeled by rain, these giants have earned their lofty thrones in the sky through their perseverance and the strength from their roots.
I likened the trees to members of the church. As seeds we have been born into a time in which the fullness of the gospel is restored. We have been nourished through the teachings of living modern day prophets as well as the prophets of old. The winds and storms work to bring down the young trees. Those that do not fall are afflicted by fires and parasites. Many may fall and conform to the will of their adversaries because the task seems to hard or the roots are not strong enough
However, the young trees are given a constant supply of nutrients through their strong foundation. If they can stand up against the tribulations, their faith and determination, they will weather the torrents and make them stronger for the storms to come.
With faith deep in the roots of the church, giving ourselves the nutrients and water we need from the scriptures and general conference, we too can weather the storms of this world. We can stand fast like these great trees and make it to a high destination of happiness.

7 comments:

  1. You must have your laptop with you on vacation!

    I think you should send this in to the New Era. I loved the sentence, "Scarred by fire, smitten by the wind, and pummeled by rain, these giants have earned their lofty thrones in the sky through their perseverance and the strength from their roots."

    Your short essay reminds me of the scripture in Hel. 5:12.

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  2. It reminds me of this long-time favorite quote of mine: "The great redwoods of California are one of the beautiful natural wonders of North America.... For all their magnificence one would think the redwoods would require a deep root system to keep them upright. Instead, they have roots that spread out along the surface of the forest floor to capture all the moisture possible, intertwining with the roots of other redwoods in the grove. The interlocking roots securely support and sustain these giant sequoias when storms strike and fierce winds blow. The trees' survive depends on the combined support of one another. When we stand together...support one another...encourage one another...we become strong together, and like the giant redwoods, we keep growing taller."

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  3. Wow. Great post. Definitely could be a New Era article!

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  4. I liked Gail's quote because it sure seems like the friends we have are such a big influence. If you have good friends, then you'll try to be good too!

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  5. Love the additions to your playlist. They calm me down. Grandma

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  6. I'm glad to hear that :) Recently I've found that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir doesn't sound as boring as it used to when I was little. I really like them after all.

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  7. For pictures of Jessica in the redwoods, see my spring break post at headabovewater-sheryl

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