I love to hear other outdoor lovers tell about their experiences and what cultivates their love for nature. Today we have a quest post from a long-time friend of our family. Joel Ruse spent his younger years right here in the Hoosier state. After college he followed a job opportunity and settled in the mountains of Colorado. He’s experienced a lot of life since leaving us behind and has developed a special attachment to the land he now calls home.

“I am going to try and pay attention to the spring. I am going to look around at all the flowers, and look up at the hectic trees. I am going to close my eyes and listen.” Anne Lamott

I’ve spent a lot of time in the trees of the Rocky Mountains these last ten years and one specific tree’s vastness, complexity and genetics astounds me. Bear with me for a minute as I dissect for you this lively tree and its uniqueness that truly sets it apart from other trees in the forest.

Let’s consider the aspen tree. Quaking Aspens, also called Trembling Aspens or Golden Aspens, grow in dense groupings and reproduce through suckering. These suckers that stem from the root system can be in the hundreds and will, if you have them in your backyard, try to take over your property. I’ll let you Google how to get rid of these suckers. An aspen’s leaves, filled with chlorophyll, have a small flattened stem that will tremble or quake at the slightest breeze. In the event that a fire should engulf a portion of the forest, Quaking Aspens will aggressively take over the burned area and dominate that area until forced out by large pines trees. One must also take precaution when transplanting an aspen tree. You must mark the north side of the tree’s trunk and transplant it back into the ground as you removed it. If this process is not followed, you will shorten the life of that individual tree and it will become weak and die within a year. On the flip side, in the autumn, these trees shine their brilliant colors across large aspen groves blanketed in red, orange, yellow, and gold bringing in thousands of tourists who stand in awe before a masterpiece landscape.

Fun Fact: In Utah’s Fishlake National Forest, there is an aspen grove named Pando. Pando means “I spread” in Latin. Its 50,000 stems cover more than 100 acres and weighs more than 14 million pounds. That’s equivalent to 40 times the weight of the largest animal in the world, a blue whale! They call this a “clonal grove” which means:  swaths of forest connected underground by a single network of roots, each having a trunk genetically identical to the others.

So, now that the science lesson has come to an end, you’re probably wondering, “Where is this guy going with this astonishment of an aspen tree?” Well, it’s been said that some people believe that life’s mysteries can be revealed by carefully listening to the sound produced by trembling leaves of the aspen. Now, while I don’t 100% agree with that entire statement, I have found some of the intricacies of this tree and general facts about trees to bring about some personal conclusions, themes, which have made my time in the woods life-giving.

Solitude, for example, doesn’t come easily in such a fast-paced world that’s running, getting, achieving and grasping for everything in its reach. Susan Cain, the author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, said “Solitude matters, and for some people, it’s the air they breathe.” What’s your solitude? Do you find solitude on a regular basis or small moments of silence throughout the year? For me, solitude is being in the mountains on a four-wheeler scooting around thousands of acres of aspens and pine trees taking in the vastness of the Rocky Mountains. But, I don’t just ride all day. I stop and look around. I sit and listen to the wind, birds, and squirrels while occasionally observing elk and deer walk right in front of me! I breathe the cool mountain air into my lungs with hints of pine needle sap and dirt. I reflect on just how little I am and how large the forest is around me. I believe silence is the avenue to refreshment and quite possibly healing. Jesus even modeled this on the seventh day after He created the globe. He Rested! Besides, you can’t beat being in 100,000+ acres of trees and coming home smelling like gasoline from your four-wheeler covered in red dirt and mud!

Remember Utah’s Fishlake National Forest and how the aspen grove has over 50,000 stems that connect each tree to the other? Tree roots reminded me to connect with my roots; remember your roots. The feeling of remembering where you came from and how you got wherever it is that you’re going will help you value the victories in this life.

I was born in a small town in Indiana called Sweetser. I lived with my parents and my sister. I learned how to love, work hard, went to church, played sports, and spent lots of time with my grandparents on their farms.

Go ahead; pick a couple of memories and put them into a sentence just like I did above. On your worst day, this could be an encouragement to you.

I came to know Jesus Christ when I was young and decided that I would serve Him with my life.

When the enemy comes knocking on your front step, reflect on your commitment and find strength in knowing that Jesus can defeat your darkest moment.

I moved to Colorado Springs and met my wife at Compassion International. Although we love Colorado, we can’t wait to m­ove back to the Midwest to be closer to our families.

Accomplishment; knowing how far you’ve come in life can’t touch any feeling of disappointment or defeat. Lean forward and if there are difficult times behind you, let those launch you into new chapters of life and celebrate the victories!

Well, there are many other personal conclusions, themes, which I sense every time I’m in the woods surrounded by trees so let’s take a look at those quickly and I hope you’ll find these encouraging and quite simply an easy reminder of what a tree, not just a Quaking Aspen, can do for nature and you.

Trees:
– Provide a bountiful supply of food for certain animals
– Provide shade; great place for a nap
– Let you lean against them
– Bend a lot before they break
– Grow new leaves, colorful leaves, every year
– Survive storms
– Create cover and safety from the elements
– Grow deep roots and drink lots of water
– Have a unique, natural beauty
– Extract bad elements from the air and release water into the atmosphere

You may be asking “So what am I supposed to do with these known, simple facts?” I’m glad you asked! While most of us may not take these into consideration on a daily basis, it’s helped me to see life a little differently. As you read through the book of Jeremiah, you’ll come across a story where he’s describing two pictures; the desert and a flowing river. These pictures represent two very different men. One man diverts from what he knows to be true of God and leans into man to supply his needs. The other man leans with his whole life into the promises of Jesus. Jeremiah 17:8 says “He is like a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat comes, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”

So what if we rewrite these facts as we consider the man who experienced the river:

You:
– Give to those in need; food, water, shelter, and clothing (Generosity)
– Open up your home and make it a place of safety and love (Hospitality)
– Keep growing and drink lots of water; read the Word and talk with Jesus regularly (Grow)
– Deepen your roots; in your marriage, church, family, and community (Vested)
– Be who God created you to be; you’re unique and beautiful (Child of God; one-of-a-kind)
– Get rid of life-sucking moments and cling to life-giving moments (Living)
– Rest; find solitude in your life (Sabbath)

You may not physically grow to be 275 feet tall like a giant sequoia, the largest tree in the world, but you can be one who seeks solitude. Let solitude birth moments of joy, adventure, and deepen roots while leaning with your entire being into the promises of God and His abounding goodness to us!

1 Chronicles 16:33 “Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.”

Psalm 52:8 “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.”

 
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