I stood at the base of the tree and looked up to see the top.  I was unable to wrap my arms around the trunk even with the help of my wife and two (2) children.  The tree was a giant.  Near this tree stood another one through which you could drive a car.   The Time-Life western series book, The Loggers, has a picture of a stump in which the logger and his family had made a house.

The Redwood (SEQUOIA SEMPERVIRENS) is an evergreen of the Cypress family.  They are very large and words cannot properly describe them.  If you have ever stood at the base of one of these trees, you understand.  The tallest known is 367 feet high and 14 feet in diameter.  It is located in Muir Woods some 14 miles north of San Francisco.  The oldest known dates from the time Abraham started his wanderings.  Redwoods begin as a seed the size of a tomato seed; a seed so small yields a tree magnificent in size. 

These trees grow to be giants over a long period of time.  The main reasons for their longevity are: (1) they contain tannic acid, which insects do not like, (2) they lack resin, making them more resistant to fire, and (3) they grow in groves and their roots spread out and intertwine with the other trees around them allowing them to sustain high winds.

Jeremiah wrote this about those who trust in the Lord and place their confidence in him:

They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.” (17:8)

David wrote these words about the righteous man in Psalm 1:

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

Be like a Redwood tree; resistant to evil and the fires of life.  Develop roots that intertwine deeply with brethren to provide strength and stability during stormy times.   We start out small and insignificant, but we can and should grow to be that giant tree planted by the Lord God Almighty.