When we lived in California, we visited the redwoods. What astonished us is that some of these trees started growing possibly when Jesus walked the earth. With good reason, the enormous ones get all the attention—and everyone takes photos.

However, what impressed me more are the groves of newer trees. These tiny saplings often grow so close together that their bases merge, and eventually they grow into one tree. If the saplings are a little farther away, they may not be absorbed into one, but they still become interconnected. Though the roots are only a few feet deep, they extend up to 100 feet from the trunk, intertwining and giving each other the strength to withstand high winds and strong storms. 

The apostle Paul prayed for believers to be like the redwoods. As the Word is planted in you and you grow up in your faith, you become connected by that faith to the people around you. You fuse together. Then, when storms come, you are so interconnected that you can withstand them because others are lending you their strength.

“We will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:15,16).