Over Christmas break I had the opportunity to go to Roaring Camp with my parents. I haven’t been here since I was really little. For those of you who don’t know, Roaring Camp is a park up in the coastal mountains of Central California. They have a train that takes you up the mountain and looks at historical spots. On the other side of roaring camp is a Redwood Tree grove. Along this grove they have 15 marked spots and each one you learn a fun fact about the Redwood Trees. At checkpoint number 3 I learned something about redwood trees that made me take a step back and reflect on my own life.
I learned that redwood tree bark protects them against various different things, including fire. The bark of redwood trees is so thick and protective that when a fire comes rolling through, the trees stand tall and strong. After the fire is gone they will continue to grow as well. However, the trees are left with a pretty significant burn scar. The scars on the trees that I saw told the story of the last forest fire to go through roaring camp, over 100 years ago. Some of these trees have been nearly hallowed out from the fire, yet they continue on growing displaying their beautiful scars and how they have survived the fire.
This makes me think of my own Journey in life, and my own fires that I have been through. Some of you may know, that there was a small period of life where I wasn’t walking with the Lord as well as I should have been. I kept up appearances and went to church but there wasn’t much of a personal relationship with God. During that time, I thought my life was burning to ashes. I felt as if I was living in the middle of a forest fire caused by my own actions and fueled by guilt and shame. I remember crying out to God, “Lord, save me from myself.” At that moment, it was as if his hedge of protection came around me, protected me, and over time helped me heal from the inside, out.
However, I still have scars from those fires. Scars that I once thought were so ugly, and I wished they were never there. I have come to realize since then that these scars helped me become who I am today, and that girl is someone I am proud to be. Someone who has come to realize that these scars now tell a story of someone who has walked through fire and survived, not by my own will, but by the Grace of God.
Much like these Costal Redwoods, our scars tell stories of where we’ve been, and If we have the protection of God around us, like the bark of these trees, we will not be burned to ashes from the fires we walk through. With God in our lives, we can use our scars to tell the beautiful story of his redemptive grace.
So if you feel like you’re walking through the destructive fires of life right now, I am sorry, I know this time of life isn’t easy. I am not going to pretend to know what you are going through. But I will say this, I know what it is like to walk through my own fires, and I also know of the freedom that lies on the other side. My message to you, is don’t lose hope. There are some pretty majestic trees out there with Fire scars that tell a beautiful story, and someday, by the grace of God, your scars will tell your own beautiful story of how you walked through fire, and came out alive, and stronger, and better because of it.
Grace and Peace,
Renee Sperry
