The Sequoias

The following is an excerpt from The Root of Riches by Chuck Bentley one of our members sent me this past week. Bentley captures the heart of the relationships we have with each other as members of the body of Christ with his analogy.

I picked up a Giant Sequoia cone once on a trip to the Sequoia National Forest in California. I stood in awe as I looked up the trunk of the massive tree pondering the magnificent structure that was once a tiny seed like those contained in the cone I held. Sequoias can grow to over 300 feet tall, the height of a 30-story building. They are the largest living things on earth, but they originate from a tiny seed the size of an oat flake. The Giant Sequoia can grow to over 33 feet in diameter. Twenty average people linking hands would barely circle the base of a mature tree. Their branches can reach seven feet in diameter and their bark has been measured up to 31 inches thick. The oldest recorded Giant Sequoia is estimated to be 3,200 years old. Scientists aren’t sure why the Giant Sequoia lives so long, but I have my own theory. Besides their great size and age, these trees have unusual root systems. Although quite shallow, given the immense size of the trees, their roots seem to interlock with those of other trees around them. I think these majestic, towering examples of strength and beauty stand firm because beneath the surface their roots are joined together, which gives them the stability they need to endure wind, ice, snow, and even earthquakes! They do not stand alone. Is that not a beautiful picture of the Body of Christ? (The) trees do not stand alone. With common roots that feed on God’s enduring love, they allow their love to flow out and nourish others. (The) trees grow to become towering examples of Christ’s love and produce the same glorious, priceless fruit wherever they are planted. When we become He Trees, we join a family. We’re the same species of tree as every boy and girl, man and woman, adult or child who has ever entered the kingdom of God. God designed us with interlocking roots that hold us together as a worldwide community. This unique support system eliminates loneliness as we depend upon each other to weather the storms of life. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Bentley, Chuck (2011-07-20). The Root of Riches (Kindle Locations 2143-2144). FORIAM Publishers in association with Crown Financial Ministries, Inc.. Kindle Edition.