Emerging from wood
Standing tall or standing small
Rebirth of self-truths
Photo credit: tombothetominator
Cuddled up on the couch next to my love, our newborn son quietly nursing in my arms, we sat mesmerized by the story unfolding before our eyes. Giant redwoods, the world's largest and oldest trees (perhaps as old as 1,500 years), seem to carry stories of centuries gone by deep within its highly valued wood. The more conversationalists studied these trees, the more they realized how complex and intricate they are.
Reaching highest of over 300 feet, forests filled with these giants were almost lost by the clear cutting practices of logging companies. But they proved to be as resilient as they were massive as new trees sprung forth from the stumps left behind. A single sprout could grow up to six feet in a year.
The canopies of these super trees were even more impressive. National Geographic calls them "forests in the air", because the branches hundreds of feet from the ground held an intricate forest of their own including bushes, soil, and new tree trunks growing right from the limbs. The salamanders that live in these "forests in the air" can spend their entire lifetime here without ever touching the ground.
As I took it all in, one line caught my attention. Some of the trees loggers cut down could have been "around when Christ walked the earth". I know trees don't really talk, but if they did, I wonder what kind of story they would tell.
What story would be told by one of the trees in the Garden of Gethsemane the night Jesus was arrested? What story could be shared by the tree cut down to make the cross that held our Savior as he breathed his last have to tell? What story might would unfold through the words of the tree used to build the manger meant for animal feed that held a newborn babe one night in Bethlehem? And I wonder how my story would be different if not for that night in Bethlehem.
Linking up with Bigger Picture Blogs for this year's Twas The Write Before Christmas. Check out this year's prompts here and join in the fun!
I was blessed to actually take communion with a group of dear friends in the Garden of Gethsemene - about 15 years ago. Something that will stay with me always. And I was absolutely struck by the that thought - walking quietly among the centuries old trees...very powerful.
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