Have you ever stood beside a towering sequoia?

These massive redwoods 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 bear huge scars, big black splits on their trunks. But somehow these great trees have remained tall, even though they’ve been burned before.

Thank goodness they do. Studies have shown that these trees clean our air, putting out more oxygen and absorbing more carbon dioxide than most other trees on the planet.

You may have scars from fires in your past.

Perhaps you’ve been burned because of your faith. Or you’re the loner who refused to bend your convictions. Maybe you lost friends when you didn’t give their bad behavior a thumbs up or you were the uncool parent because you 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.