On the way to school the other day, my son asked me a good question—Do trees grow in the winter time? Not being an expert on such matters, I answered as best I could. He then followed up with a question about how long trees live. We had talked about this before and how there were some trees alive today which were living at the time of Jesus.
My son’s questions starting me thinking about types of trees and how long they live. I remembered hearing of the great age of some of the mighty Sequoias, growing so large and tall surrounded by others of their own kind. Then I remembered the diminutive bristlecone pine, which often lives alone on the side of a mountain, twisted by the powerful winds that whip past its inhospitable environs. Interestingly, of the two, it is the bristlecone which can live the longest.
My thoughts (in the Lord) then led to two lives of another sort, both of which are lived by faith. In Hebrews chapter 11 we’re told that some accomplish mighty deeds, gaining victories and receiving great blessings through their faith in God. Much like a Sequoia, they are impressive people, well known and respected by others for their accomplishments (in the Lord).
But the same chapter also mentions others, ones who suffer, are ridiculed and even despised. These often live alone, or in small groups, little known or heeded by the world at large. Sometimes they are killed for their faith. These, too, the Word commends, in fact it adds the special commendation, “the world was not worthy of them”. In other words, it’s not that they are not fit to live. To the contrary, they are too great for the evil world in which they find themselves. They will be taken to a better place, where they will reign together with the Lord (see Rev 20:4).
Each of us has his or her own path to travel as a believer in Messiah Yeshua. Some live out their faith among others of like mind, enjoying the rich soil of broad fellowship, standing strong and accomplishing much, both in the world’s eyes and in the eyes of the Lord, just as the Sequoia’s grow large and tall in their groves together. Such serve as beacons and examples to others, and many are sheltered under their spiritual covering.
But others are called to a different type of life, a life of struggle, often waged seemingly nearly alone (but actually in the presence of the Lord). In the often solitary environment in which they find themselves, there is little of the mutual encouragement which exists among those who spend their days in fellowship with others. Their fellowship is with the soaring eagles, and the wind of the Spirit which blows so freely in their special abode. Like the bristlecone, they must cling to the soil of whatever revelation they have, prying out of the Rock enough nourishment to carry on. Their energies, it seems, go mainly into simply surviving. They often bear scars caused by the difficult location in which they find themselves.
They, too, have grown strong. But their strength manifests in a different way, the strength of heart born in the midst of perseverance through difficulty. Instead of outward accomplishments, their growth has been within, resulting in a wiry tenacity that refuses to give up, despite the tremendous factors arrayed against them, factors that would cause those who have not been through similar challenges to bow down under the strain. With time persecution, shame, and loneliness no longer intimidate them, much as bristlecones become accustomed to the lightning, blizzards and fierce winds that frequent their lofty mountain locales. Their one desire is to please the one who created them for this very purpose and placed them where others could not survive to be a testimony of His glory.
Some of you reading this are Sequoias. Enjoy the life you have been given in the Lord here on earth, for you have the opportunity to influence many. But for the bristlecones out there, take heart. Your struggles are not unseen by Him. In fact, His eye is much upon you. Yours is to claim the mighty peaks for the Kingdom.
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