Redwood Growth

Yesterday I watched a short video that, although not spiritual, when spiritual-ized gives an interesting picture of Christian growth. Redwood trees, also known as the Giant Sequoias, trees like General Sherman, become the largest trees in the world. In Santa Cruz and Sierra Nevada they grow solid and strong and live to be thousands of year old.

Now, what this video told me is that when they are allowed to grow in an urban environment, unopposed and unchecked they wreak havoc. They lift up the foundations of nearby buildings, they get into septic systems, and sometimes they fall. These huge, highly respected trees, fall. Why do they fall? Because their insides are hollow.

In their natural environment they are forced to grow at a pace that gives them time to form a structurally sound base. But out in the open, with plenty of water and sunlight, they can be dangerous. When they are cut down for lifting up a foundation, it is revealed that the base of the trees are riddled with gaps, huge hollow areas in their foundation.

This is such an amazing picture of a church, or a person that grows too quickly. They are structurally unsound, their doctrine isn't firm, their spirit is untested, un-weathered, and they are vulnerable to a fall.

I thank God that he has grown us, at Fenway Church slowly, at least by the world's standards. That it has taken us a few years to get going. Because without this period of preparation, our base wouldn't be able to hold the influx of people from the world. We would have been totally unprepared for the coming trials and crushing forces.

Praise God for his sovereign knowledge and preparation!