Brother Colby Neilson
Bishopric Second Counselor
A few years ago, our family made a trip to Sequoia National Park.
The mighty Sequoia trees are the most amazing sight. I was intrigued by some facts regarding these trees. I'll just talk about a few.
They do not have a tap root. They have a shallow root system that extends for hundreds of yards and connects with all the other trees around. This allows each tree to withstand violent storms as they all support each other.
Their bark can become up to 2 feet thick. The bark is thickest towards the base of the tree.
Their bark is fire resistant and disease resistant, almost fire proof. In fact, fire adds to the strength of the bark.
They live to be very old - like 3000 yrs old.
They can grow up to 300 feet tall. Have branches that are 8 feet in diameter, bases 20 feet in diameter.
They are enormous.
These facts are what made me think of a parallel to our lives.
We all have roots. Some very deep, and others shallow. Either way, as we connect with those around us, we are strengthened, supported, and able to withstand the winds and violent storms of the adversary. The more we allow the spirit to guide us to help and support others, the more connections we create and the stronger we all become. We all need each other and we all need the Savior as part of our collective connected strength.
Fire and disease are devastating forces. For the Sequoia, it actually will create strength and resistance. As the trees grow and undergo forest fires or disease, the bark thickens and produces acids to combat these adversities. As we persevere through our trials, we develop resiliency and strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ. As our 'bark' becomes thicker, we can deal with hard things, we can have empathy for others, we can have strength to press forward with Faith, and BECOME STRONGER.
May we all look for opportunities to help one another, strengthen each other, and allow the Spirit to more fully direct our lives. I testify that it is only through Jesus Christ that we can overcome anything and everything.
Love,
Bro. Neilson
