Stand Like a Sequoia

by Heather Tietz

Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong!

1 Corinthians 16:13

Ever stood beside a towering sequoia? These massive red woods are the largest living things on earth. They can stand higher than 370 feet and measure wider than 100 feet around. For thousands of years they’ve stood firm. Perhaps the giant sequoias are the sturdiest of all God’s creation. They don’t crumble like mountains. They don’t break like rocks, even when the forest fires burn every 5 to 15 years. Many of these old trees bare huge scars, big black splits on their trunks. But somehow, these great trees have remained tall, though they’ve been burned again and again for thousands of years. Thank goodness they do. They put out more oxygen and absorb more carbon dioxide, cleaning up our air far better than most trees on the planet.

Do you have scars from fires in your past? You’ve been burned because of your faith. You’ve been the loner when you refused to bend your convictions. You lost friends when you didn’t give their bad behavior a thumbs up. You’re missing treasure because you shared. You’ve been the uncool parent because you’ve stood by godly rules. Well, stand tall! Be the stability that others need, whether they realize it or not. Be a breath of fresh air in our polluted world.