Are you in the midst of incredible emotional pain? Has your world been turned upside down by divorce, loss or job transition? The ancients have an important message for you.
Part 1 I can't see the sun.
I can feel its heat rising all around me, but I can't see it.
The ground under my feet is dry and dusty.
The heat brings out the smell of dry and broken needles.
Splinters of light filter through the trees in spots.
The dust shimmers in the tiny shafts of light.
My eyes are drawn up to the tops of these gigantic trees.
I feel small standing at the base of these wonderful trees.
Sequoia gigantea.
The tallest of the lofty California redwoods.
The upper branches are nearly 250 feet above me - taller than the Empire State Building.
The trunks of these massive trees are 20 to 30 feet in diameter.
The tree in front of me may have been nearly a thousand years old when Jesus walked in Israel.
I stand in awe of the beauty of these trees.
I am also in awe at the lessons they hold out for our lives.
These ancients are masters at dealing with stress.
I can remember a time when great care was taken not to allow any fire to come near these trees.
It was hoped that the groves of redwoods would be increased in number if only they could be protected from fire.
Amazingly, foresters found that when there was no fire, there were no seedlings.
A forest fire then raged through this grove.
Lightening started the fire.
It burned off all the undergrowth (though it left the trees relatively unscathed).
The next spring seedling trees appeared everywhere in the grove.
Lesson #1 that these ancients have to teach us is this: Many times real growth is started after we have gone through the fire.
Fire sets a redwood seed free to grow.
It will lie dormant for years until the fire heats it through.
The emotional pain you are experiencing right now - whether it be loss or divorce or some other tumult - may be the fire that will set free a part of you that has been waiting for years to emerge.
The fires may feel devastating.
It may feel hard to do anything but survive.
Keep your eyes open though.
There may well be a wonderful seed being set free in you.
Look for it.
Take the time to notice old interests you may have given up years ago.
Dust off the old dreams that may lie hidden in the ash.
Be grateful for the wonder still to emerge.
Get ready for a new life sprouting out of the pain.
Look for Lesson #2 of the Ancients in a couple weeks.