A Giant's Purpose

Dappled sunlight....flickers across the ground...breeze blowing...sweet scents of ocean mixed with wood...teases the senses. Ancient giants...leaves dancing in the breeze. Guardians of the Western coast. Like an army standing at their post. Gatekeepers to the East...keepers of secrets from ages past. Much has changed over the centuries they have guarded. Volumes of books could be written about the stories they could tell...if only they could talk.

Tall, stately, grand, these trees are world renown. Travelers come from around the globe to see their beauty and gaze up at their stature. When one falls, the earth trembles, far and wide, crashing, producing sounds like that of a train wrecking. Opportunity for sunlight to cast its warm glow comes through the space left open by the mighty fallen one.

My heart feels sad as I look at the one whose massive girth lies out in the distance. But as I walk around its' length, I realize that even in death, there is life. The hole left from the massive trunk and roots becomes shelter for small animals, and also provides an excellent photo opportunity for the tourist. Sunlight rushes in, causing smaller ones that once had the privilege to grow in the shadows of the fallen giant space to grow slowly over time to the same stature. On the top, running the length, is new growth. As I look, I realize eventually, ever so long from now, that tree will become part of the forest floor. Life will have long been established from all of the nutrients even in death the fallen one offers.

In my random thoughts, as silly as it may seem, I have caught a glimpse of a truth in the body of Christ. There are spiritual giants, guardians of our hearts, gatekeepers, tall, stately, and grand in the spirit. There are those who grow up under their covering, in their shadow...protected...kept. But even in death, if a true giant, there is life. The roots, things they established, give safety and shelter. New life and growth are established on top of what they were and their strength eventually becomes the floor and the nutrients necessary for the next generation. Continuing the heritage of tall, stately, grand.