Jeff and I have been on a wonderful trip to some of our western National Parks over the past few weeks. We began with the varied beauty of Yellowstone, extended into the majestic Tetons, then down into the other-worldliness of Bryce. Currently, we are in the stunning canyons of Zion. We have seen indescribable beauty in every place we've been. Beauty which defies description, and which photos cannot adequately capture. Beauty which speaks to the power of our wonderful Creator.
As we have "ooohhed" and "ahhhhed" over so many magnificent sights, one in particular jumped out at me as we toured Bryce National Park on Monday. Not so much because of the beauty, but more so because of the uniqueness. In this barren, rocky place with little soil and limited water, we saw trees with roots above the ground. I wondered how anything could live like that. So in some down-time, I did some further research...
I first learned that these trees are Great Basin Bristlecone Pines. They are only found in six states, and only on exposed dry rocky slopes and ridges between 6500-11,000 ft. The oldest living Bristlecone Pine is 4,765 years old. According to the National Park Service, this ancient tree is named Methuselah, and lives in a secret location in the White Mountain range of eastern California.
What was most fascinating to me is that they die in portions. When I saw them and wondered how they can live with their roots above the ground, the answer is that they don't. As the roots become exposed, they dry out and die. The portion of the tree connected to those roots will eventually die as well. But, the remainder of the tree - with roots below the ground - will continue to live. The National Park Service says this is what causes their tortured, twisted look.
As I read about these trees, I thought about the stark contrast of others we've seen on this trip - those with roots not visible, growing tall and strong. It reminded me of Psalm 1:3, where the psalmist writes describing the one who delights in the law of God, meditating on His Word day and night. He writes that such a one "... is like a tree, planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither." Similarly, Jeremiah describes the one who trusts in the Lord as "...like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Likewise, Paul encouraged the Ephesians to be rooted and grounded in love through faith in Christ, also instructing the Colossians to be "rooted and built up in Him."
What kind of tree am I? I'm afraid that all too often in my life, I've been more like the Bristlecone Pine. Spending my time in other endeavors that have pulled my roots up and out of the soil of God's Word, exposing them to the elements of worldliness, causing their dryness and decay, leading to sin and distance from God, which has at times caused a tortured, twisted existence.
But I want to be more like what the Psalmist and Jeremiah describe - that strong, straight, beautiful tree, with deep unseen roots. The tree that is planted by the rivers of the water of life, with my roots drinking so deeply from His Word that I cannot help but grow strong and produce beautiful, righteous fruit for His glory.
I hope you do, too.
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." ~Ephesians 3:14-19
