The Roots to Endure

In my last blog I wrote about trees and how much I love them. Well it turns out I have more to say about trees...

I've often looked at trees as an example for myself. They stand strong and steadfast whatever comes their way. It takes a very long time for a tree to recover from an injury, in fact they never do fully recover.There are many people who carve things into trees like initials and dates. People do that because it lasts so long. The tree heals around those things, but it always holds onto them; the scar is always there. No matter how many years go by the most a tree can do is cover up the scar.

A tree can stand strong through rough winds and hard weather.  However, if a tree has shallow roots then when a storm comes to rage it cannot stand. It's roots must be deeply planted in the ground; with strong roots it can bear almost anything. The tree just stands tall and steadfast enduring through whatever storm or trial is sent it's way.

We have been charged with that same responsibility, "Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ...and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." - 2 Nephi 31:20

The difference is that Christ has promised to be there for us and while a tree can never fully heal and must hold it's scar forever, we through Christ don't have to hold onto our scars. He is there to help us fully heal. Through the Atonement, we can be healed from the guilt of our sins and the pain we receive from the sins of others.

"Unless the roots of your testimony are firmly planted, it will be difficult for you to withstand...When firmly planted, your testimony of the gospel, of the Savior, and of our Heavenly Father will influence all that you do throughout your life." -President Thomas S. Monson

I can testify that if we trust in Christ and rely on him and his atonement we will have the strength to endure through all of life's trials and the ability for all of our scars to be healed.

A Refiner's Fire

First off... trees are amazing! I have always loved trees; and have never come across a type of tree that I don't like. I love that there are so many different kinds. They range from tiny bonsai trees to huge red woods. I've always believed that they must be one of Heavenly Fathers favorite things since he made so many of them. He also made all of us to be different as well.  Trees have always marveled me because they are of the most durable and resilient things in nature.

I've discovered trees to be very strong; my family has an apple tree in our backyard. Several years ago it got a type of fungus in it's trunk. I remember thinking how awful it was that we were going to lose our tree. Then one day my brother went out to the tree and he did a controlled burn inside the trunk, and he got rid of all of the fungus. We weren't sure if the tree would make it and for a while it didn't look very well, but then when spring came it had some leaves coming back, and by the time it was completely spring, it was fully blooming! I was amazed; I couldn't believe that our tree was doing so well with a huge hole burned in it's trunk! That tree is still alive in our backyard to this day.

Just like my tree, in order for us to become purified of those things in our lives that would weaken us, the Lord puts us through a 'refiners fire' to purge those impurities making us  spiritually stronger and steadfast.

Trees get bigger and tougher every year, and the way I see it, they keep enduring no matter what, this is how God made them.  In Malachi 3:2-3 "...for he is like a refiners fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify... and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."

We all have trials in our lives, but we can remember that this life is our chance to be refined and purified and sometimes that comes with a trial of fire. As Job put it, "...he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." -Job 23:10

I can testify that once we make it through our trials we come out stronger, purer, and closer to God. However, it isn't until after we've made it through the fire that we look back and are grateful for the person we have become.