Growth Rings

There are giant sequoia trees still growing in northern California right now, just as they have for thousands of years! If you’ve seen them in person, like I have, you’ll never forget the experience. To me, it felt like being in an enormous cathedral. The sound within it alternated between the music of bird songs and reverent silence you could feel. The roof was made of both green leaves and the blue sky.

How wondrous are these trees? According to Wikipedia, the oldest is 3,200 to 3,266 years old, which means it sprouted somewhere between 1,175 to 1,241 B.C.! They grow to an average height of 164-279 ft., which is equivalent to a 16 to 27 story building! But life hasn’t always been easy for these majestic survivors. They’ve weathered drought, storms, bug and beetle invasions, fires – and lumberjacks!

It got me thinking about the growth rings inside the trunk of a tree that tell its story. Each begins with a seed that sprouted, like our lives do. As the tree grows, its history is captured throughout its core. Every year a ring of growth is added, showing what happened. A thick ring shows it was a good year with plenty of rain, nutrients, and sunshine. A thin ring means there was much less – yet enough to still grow on. There are also scars among the rings left from one or more fires, pest attacks, or other outside damage. But the tree survived and its life continued.

Isn’t this like our lives? We have “growth rings” too. There are seasons – or even years – that are so challenging we wonder if we’ll make it. However, if you’re hearing or reading this, you did! 

I love these verses from the Bible that talk about how God provides the resources for our lives when we believe in Him, found in Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV):

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.“

This teaches us that as believers, God supplies the living water* to nourish our souls through His Word and He also provides for all our needs.

Also, by staying rooted in Him, we’ll always keep growing deeper and stronger. When trials come, we have nothing to fear because He’s our source of strength. We’ll thrive and be fruitful regardless of our circumstances.

If we look at the years of our lives like the growth rings of a tree, our perspective changes. They together tell our unique story and show us patterns based on our choices and also how we react to what we can’t control. If we choose to make deep-rooted healthy life choices anchored in God, we’ll grow like a giant sequoia. If we put off or ignore the warning signs of what we shouldn’t do over and over again, one day we’ll fall.

RESET HIGHER: What do your “growth rings” say about your life? What can you change to move forward, now making each season stronger and more stable?

If you have kids, are you teaching your little “seeds” and “grandseeds” about growing a healthy life that includes knowing God, their Creator?