I live in the Evergreen State, Washington. The west side is replete with leftover vestiges of the untouched virgin forest where trees once lived hundreds of years before they succumbed to the elements. With ingenuity, man learned that the trees were useful for many products including shelter, so slowly the trees succumbed to harvesting. What was a long process of felling a single tree became quick work as technology slowly made it a miracle to clear hundreds of acres in a very short time.
Slowly, and surely, all the old-growth forests are removed and in their place are replacement trees. Many are grown just for their near-term future value, and never to become the giants that once roamed this land.
Up and down the West Coast, these ancient forests, for the most part, have been decimated by the hands of man. There are still pockets of these grand forests where legislation has prevented their demise and if you are fortunate perhaps you will visit them someday.
Where Is This Leading Us?
I saw a picture and was struck by this weird thought. The old B&W photo shows a felled Sequoia tree with a couple standing in front of the freshly sawn log, and they are only about a third of the width of the tree. A man on a ladder with a saw-blade that must be 15-20 feet long shows what it took to bring down this giant.
As we lose the giants of our yesteryear, will we ever see giants like this again? Will we ever see these trees dot the landscape and know these facts about them?
With a height of 286 feet (87 m) or more, a circumference of 113 feet (34 m) or more, an estimated bole volume of up to 52,500 cubic feet (1,487 m3), and an estimated age of 1800–2700 years, the giant sequoia is among the tallest, widest and longest-lived of all organisms on Earth. (from Wikipedia)This made me think of the giants of the oceans, as well as the giants of mankind.
We almost make extinct everything larger than we are! Even ourselves! We are here for a brief span, and we think more highly of ourselves than we do the great trees that we cut to the ground.
As we lose our great leaders, and even those steady examples of a great life, who among us is ready to replace them?
Where Are Our Giants?
Where are the giants growing up today? Who are they? I struggle to see them.
Who are our thinkers? The action takers? The ones who can take us to the next level. Where will our next visionaries come from? Who is in training for the next needful call? Where are the ones that can speak sanity into this crazy world? Where are our voices of reason?
Each of us can call out the names of great leaders who are now passed. Men and women we put great stock in, and hope. But if we do not prepare the ground for the next crop, then how will we have the giants we need for future generations?
How long will it take for the next giant to grow to full stature?
It’s Often A Contest
Often we look for the one who is popular. Surely they have the capability of being the next giant among us. Sometimes it works! It did for Mordecai who was second in rank to the King, and very popular. Why? For “for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.” (Esther 10:3, ESV)
That’s popularity, but with a focus!
Sometimes we think the next giant among us actually has great stature. But God tells Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7, ESV)
What was wrong with his height or appearance? Nothing. Except they had been fooled before.
And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. (1 Samuel 9:2 ESV)We often look for giants wrongly thinking they must be better than the average man. They must be mighty, yet Goliath fell to the lad David who only had a rock to sling.
Listen to me a moment…
Mountains are cast down when we command so in the name of the Lord! This can happen even when it comes from the smallest or weakest among us! Even children can be mightier than a mountain!
Often we are fooled by our own definitions of greatness. What God has taken away from us cannot be replaced by us. A giant comes only by the hand of God. Only God sends us a true leader. A champion.
Yes… We may see the seeds of growth leading to greatness. Only time will tell, and I may not be here to see the fruit of the planted seed.
I need a giant in my life today…
Where is that giant? Do you have one?