Shortly after we moved to Colorado, we drove up Mount Blue Sky, just west of Denver. It is a “14er” (mountains with elevations over 14,000 feet…there are 58 in Colorado!), and the only one where you can drive almost all the way up to the top. It’s truly amazing above the tree line, with views for miles.
On the way up we passed a bristlecone pine forest, so we stopped to see these magnificent trees. They are beautifully odd-looking, not nearly as stately and tall as other pines. Their trunks are gnarly and twisted, sometimes bent parallel with the ground.
The bristlecone pines are known for their longevity, as they can live for thousands of years. The oldest known bristlecone pine (named Methuselah after the oldest living person in the Bible) is 4,850 years old!
Interestingly, they are only found in high altitude areas with little water and intensely strong cold winds. Although it seems counter-intuitive, scientists say that the harsh conditions actually make bristlecone pines stronger and more resilient. They keep growing, even just a few tenths of a millimeter, for thousands of years.
In his book, The Sound of Life’s Unspeakable Beauty, Martin Schleske writes about the wisdom these trees offer for us, “We did not choose the soil and location of our life’s climate, and we all experience tremendous growing pain through our lives. Those who, like the bristlecone pine, hold out through wind, drought, and adversity and keep up their inner growth are worthy of the same wonder and honor due to these life giants.” So good, right?!
I hope the bristlecone pine offers encouragement to you as you face your own “fierce winds”. By God’s grace, may we be people who keep growing and leaning into hope.