Tenacious Trees

These rugged, twisted weather-beaten trees are like our heroes of faith.

July 5

When we got to the top of Chimney Rock yesterday, I saw two trees growing out of the rock. There was no perceivable soil for the roots to get nourishment. It seemed impossible for these trees to grow. I took some pictures because I thought God has a message in this for me. Normally roots grow down into the soil, but on top of Chimney Rock, there is no soil so so were do the roots grow? This is what I learned. They will grow toward any source of nutrients, like following a crack in the rock until they find a vertical fissure. The roots continue to do this into the rock creating several planes of root mass, sucking up every available bit of moisture and nutrients over a wide area. The large roots wrapped on top of the rock are like storehouses of nutrients that the tiny roots penetrating the rock are gathering. Another amazing fact is that most trees have a symbiotic relationship with fungi. These fungi etch the rock with enzymes, breaking it down into compounds the tree can use. There are even algae that grow inside the rock and it supplies nitrogen to the tree. These trees have specific root systems that are plumbed to one specific part of the trunk and branches. The beauty of this is when a single root is damaged, only the part of the tree being feed by that root is affected. A small part of the tree may die, but the tree will continue to grow around the dead wood, creating the gnarly shapes you see on some of these trees. With conditions being so lousy you might think the life span of these trees would be small, but amazingly they are not. They can actually outlive their relatives living in the rich soil of the forest by a factor of 20 or more. There are some benefits to growing in such hostile conditions. Like once established there is less competition and even things like fires are less of a risk because of the surrounding rock. The oldest trees in the world are these very trees. As a kid growing up in Canada I would hike the Niagara Gorge. I still do when I visit home. I had no idea how old these trees growing out of the rock were. A typical Eastern White Cedar will live 90 years. Some of these gnarly, amazing, small trees, growing out of the cliffs, have been dated to be more than 1,900 years old.

As I read about these ancient, resilient trees I started to understand where God was leading me. Too often I want what is easy. Too often I feel punished and abandoned when life gets hard. I long for the Garden. Where is this beautiful life I was promised? WAIT! Do you hear the lie? We were not promised a trouble-free life. We were not promised the Garden. In this life, troubles will come. I know this, but sometimes my heart forgets. So as I think about these gnarly tenacious trees. This tough environment has molded them into the mightiest of trees. Trees that will long outlive their counterparts. When life deals them, what could be a death blow they keep on growing. These rugged, twisted weather-beaten trees are like our heroes of faith. They do not let the obstacles of life determine their fate. They use them to grow stronger, to outlive the rest. The harsh conditions of our lives are what make us strong and resilient. It is a gift, not a curse. As a little girl, I felt so small and weak, almost unseen. I wanted to be strong and fearless, and God answered. If you want to be brave and fearless you have to face your fears. If you want to be of strong faith you need to have situations in your life to exercise that faith. It is not for the faint of heart. But I am so thankful for who I am becoming.

Chimney Rock Trees