This week, I had the incredibly opportunity to drive by the Sequoia National Park.

It is impressive, to say the list, to stand in the presence of those giants. One thing that caught my eye, was how much fire damage they had suffered over the last few years.

I was getting very sad seeing this beautiful forest destroyed, so many trees had been lost, it seemed unfair. Unfair that future generations will miss the opportunity to see them.

As we advance, we stopped by the Visitor center and I was in awe when I started reading about the Sequoias. Did you know that this forest was in danger because there hadn’t been any fires?

YES!! The Sequoias not only can survive fires, they need the fires for their seed to grow. This blew my mind.

These beautiful giants have about two feet of bark that protects them from fire, making them capable to survive forest fires.

Once they are in a fire, their bark gets damage, turns black, but then it grows around the damage. The bark curves around the damage and the tree grows.

The scorch marks, make the tree beautiful and they wear the scars as a sign of their resilience. It is remarkable how the Sequoia seed needs the adversity to grow.

I believe we are like the Sequoia seed. We need that fire that motivates us, that shakes the comfort of where we are and makes us grow.

Difficult situations will bring discomfort, but they will also bring growth and maturity. Even when things don’t go our way, we can still learn and grow from our mistakes, heal our scars and use what we learned from them to keep moving forward.

Have a fantastic weekend!