The oldest of California redwoods are said to be 2000 years old, grow to 379 feet, with a diameter of 22 feet, and 12 inch thick bark. Their close relatives, the giant Sequoias, have been measured at 311 feet high, with a life-span in excess of 3000 years, trunks that have grown 40 feet in diameter, and 31 inch think bark.
On a visit to California’s Muir Wood’s National Park, I knew we weren’t going to see the “big ones” that grow further up the coast, but was awed by what we saw. The enormity of these trees surprised and overwhelmed me. I saw another example of how the wonder of creation can renew our spirits.
Standing among trees that grow taller than a football field drew my thoughts upward. Maybe it’s the way they ground themselves in the earth while reaching to the sky. Maybe it’s knowing that some of these trees could have been growing in the days of Jesus. Could be knowing the role that trees play in the unfolding storyline of the Bible.
In any case, the visit to the redwoods started my mind spinning around what really matters:
If what lasts is more important than what passes away…
If the big issues of our lives deserve more attention than the smaller ones…
If even the trees have been made to praise the One who says to those who trust him…
“You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the LORD’s name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love” (Isaiah 55:12-13).
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