I wrote this back in December.
I'll admit it. I tend to whine at Life. I don't know why there always has to be something crazy going on. Some days it's sick kids. Some days it's interpersonal relationships, sometimes work related stress, other times testimony related stress. I've been quite frustrated with this. When President Uchtdorf talked about simplifying life during times of stress, his message resonated with me. And yet his example of the trees slowing down their growth during difficult times frustrated me. Aren't we here to grow? So why do we keep getting more and more challenges slowing us down?
The answer is in those trees. For some trees, when they slow down their growth, they become much stronger.
It's very true. I can speak as an Environmental Studies major and a Biology minor. Trees that grow quickly are weaker (regardless of taking the winter "off"). There's a big difference between planting a "trash tree" (as my mother calls them) in your yard and planting an oak. One gives you shade in just a couple years, but is falling apart in 10-15, the other won't give shade for 10-15, but will most likely outlive you. Also, even among the same type of tree, ones that haven't been through tough winters, droughts, etc - things that result in narrow growth rings - are not as strong. Their wood is softer, their roots shallower. For us, I don't know that it's so much a case of "slowing growth" during hard times, so much as it is one of focusing on "core growth." Challenges don't slow down our growth, just help us grow differently - strengthening our roots and trunk, the things that will keep us steady and able to weather any storm.
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