Lessons From Giant Sequoias

Interestingly, the giant sequoia can teach us many lessons about trials, growth and developing a strong foundation.

Giant sequoias are the world’s largest trees by volume. They can grow nearly 300 feet tall and 26 feet in diameter. The oldest known sequoia is estimated to be around 3,500 years old.

What can we learn from these fascinating trees?

Fiery trials

Fire is essential to the health and reproduction of the giant sequoia. In order for the seeds of a sequoia to germinate, they must be opened. The heat produced by a fire allows the seeds to open and to start the growth of a new tree.

Fire is also essential to the growth of existing trees. The giant sequoia is resistant to flame because of the air pockets in its bark. When a fire occurs, it clears away the smaller trees and brush that compete for the sunlight that the sequoia needs.

Another way fire is essential to the growth of a sequoia is that the ash from burned branches and leaves provides nutrients that are essential to the sequoia.

So we see that the sequoia needs fire to grow. Are we any different?

The need for trials

The trials we go through in life shape us into the people we are and will become. Without trials, we wouldn’t be able to build the character and strength that we need for the future. God allows us to go through trials and “get burned” so that we can grow (much like the sequoia).

The apostle Peter wrote, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, … but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:12-13).

We can’t let the trials in our lives define us, but we can let them shape us into better and stronger Christians. We can rejoice when we overcome obstacles in life because we know we have benefitted and have learned from them.

James wrote, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2-3).

We have to trust in God and know that He won’t give us more than we can bear. We have to have the faith that He is allowing these trials so that we will grow and benefit from them.

Peter also wrote of the purpose of trials: “That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).

Time for growth

After a fire, a giant sequoia can grow rapidly, and so can we.

Helen Keller, a blind and deaf woman who knew a thing or two about trials, said, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”

We need trials in our lives to grow and become the strong, dedicated and humble Christians that God so deeply wants us to be. Through His help and the help of our fellow brethren, we can achieve that.

A strong foundation

Because the sequoia is so tall, it has to have a strong foundation to keep it upright. But 95 percent of the sequoia’s roots are within three feet of the surface. So how do they stand so strong?

The roots of the tree intertwine with those of other trees around it, creating one large root system underground. Above ground we see the huge trees standing alone—but underneath they all rely on each other for support.

On the outside, Christians may seem like “regular people” in society. But underneath, we all have that one thing in common. We are all rooted to that one foundation of God.

The apostle Paul wrote, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

We are all connected with one another through God the Father. He is the foundation that we so desperately need in our lives. We (like the sequoias) connect so deeply with each other in a way that no one else understands.

Paul also explained the importance of “being rooted and grounded in love” so that we “may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

We have a true blessing to be able to lean on each other for the support we need in our everyday lives, and to patiently await the day when we will all be together forever in the Kingdom of God.

For more about how trials help us grow to achieve the wonderful purpose God has for our lives, see the article “Purpose of Life” on the LifeHopeandTruth.com website.

Karissa Carter, 17 this month, attends the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in Los Angeles and Bakersfield, California.