I have never been to the west coast states but am often in awe when I see pictures of the giant Redwood trees.
I read something this weekend that I found remarkably interesting. Redwoods are old (as much as 2,000 years old), tall (the tallest in the world is 350 feet), and strong (they’re fire-resistant with bark that’s sometimes a foot thick). Did you know redwoods stay standing because their shallow roots intertwine with the roots of the other redwood trees? They literally hold each other up. The trees grow in close proximity to each other so they can share nutrients and physically support each other.
Sound familiar? Turning to the Bible, in Philippians 2:4 it says, “Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others” and in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 it reads, “So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already.” WOW, looking at how God created the Redwoods roots to share nutrients, he also created us to share “nutrients” with each other! God has brought us together to build each other up, support each other, and most importantly continue to grow together in a way that we intertwine.
If we go about each day doing our own thing and not thinking about the next person or how my tasks may affect the next persons tasks, we’ll be like roots shooting out away from the others, and we won’t be able to become intertwine, and we certainly aren’t nurturing each other to become as strong as the Redwood example.
As you go about this week let’s think about how we manage our tasks and how what we do or don’t do may be affecting the tasks of the next person or someone on the team. Let’s strive to be the Redwood!
So, in what ways do you intertwine with your team? How are you nurturing your “roots”?
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This is an excellent read and great reminder, Andy. It is easy to lose focus on the real picture and I appreciate you taking the time in sharing your writings to build others up including myself.