Take it slow…
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
Chinese Proverb
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 3:18 (a) LSB
Welcome to the third blog looking at Bristlecone Pine trees, one of my favorite trees as well as being the oldest trees in the world (unless you count aspen clones, but that’s a blog for another time!). Bristlecone pine trees grow very slowly; they aren’t in a hurry to grow up or old. Indeed, a tree may take several hundred years to mature to produce cones and trees grow only 10 to 15 inches in a decade. Yet they continue growing throughout their entire lifetime (more about that in the Jan 9th blog).
Bristlecones’ very slow growth means that the wood produced is extremely dense and resinous which helps protect it from fungi, bacteria, and pests with bark that helps protect the tree from fire, as well. Not only do the trees grow slowly, but they live for thousands of years! Wow! It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around something living that long! They also leave behind a legacy as a downed tree’s wood may take several thousand years to decompose.
Do you remember when you were little and you couldn’t wait to grow up? In life, we often seem to be straining for the next milestone in life rather than stretching out and savoring the current season of our lives. Deep down, I think we inherently know that it’s not healthy to rush through growing up as well hurrying through the seasons of life. The phrase “grew up too soon” is rarely meant as a good thing in our culture, nor is the one “the time passed too quickly”. For most of us, each passing year means that we learn in every way and, hopefully, become wiser in loving and living well. And if we do live well, our legacy of love may last many years just as a bristlecone leaves evidence of its well lived life for thousands of years.
So when life seems to eagerly beckon you from one season or event to the next, take it slow! Enjoy and learn from each experience along the way.