Every fall, the roads leading through Colorado’s mountain valleys and passes are filled with tourists listening for the bugle of bull elk and looking for the vibrant yellow hues of aspen trees.
A few weeks ago, Darci and I enjoyed time in the mountain community named after these beautiful trees. Sadly, we were too early to catch the changing colors or the elk in rut. Instead, we were there to enjoy the majesty of Maroon Bells, two 14,000ft. peaks located near the town of Aspen, which is also known for its world-class skiing and festivals.
I grew up in Colorado, and I’ll confess that I took the mountains, the lack of humidity, and the bountiful sunshine of my home state for granted! I was also oblivious to the many interesting facts about the aspen trees that I learned about on this recent trip.
Aspen thrive in altitude and the rocky, semi-arid terrain of Colorado. The frequent forest fires in the mountains also provide an opportunity for these aggressive trees. Aspen are more resistant to fires than their evergreen neighbors, and it is usually the first tree species to colonize a burned area.
Aspen tree groves – or clonal communities - are one single living organism, with vast root systems connecting genetically identical trees across hillsides and valleys. In fact, the largest living organism in the world is a 107-acre aspen grove in Utah.
We might say that aspen trees are living the connected life!
As I listened to the pre-recorded information on avalanches and aspen as we made our way via bus to the trailhead of Maroon Bells, I couldn’t help but think about my own life and how it is so beautifully connected in every direction. Sitting with my wife, visiting with my extended family, reflecting on the people who have influenced my life over the decades, and remembering my current church family at Fellowship, filled me with gratitude. Surviving and thriving in life’s hard and harsh conditions depends on these connections.
The resilience of the aspen tree isn’t rooted in one tree’s ability to stand on its own. It is rooted in the provision of connection, hundreds of trees living their lives as one. When one tree suffers loss or damage, it hurts the whole community. When one tree flourishes, so does the colony.
Here are a few verses that come to mind that immediately remind me of both the value and my need for connections with others:
- “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.” -Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
- “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” - Psalm 133:1
- “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” - Proverbs 27:17
People need people. I need people. I might think I’m strong enough to pull myself up, to stand in the face of life’s storms and fires, but I’m not. My life has shown me that truth on multiple occasions. I need God, and I need the resources He provides through my community of faith.
The root of the problem of self-actualization is self. I’m not enough. It’s not in me. It’s not in you either. We were not created to survive or thrive on our own. Coming back from adversity, from failure, from the effects of living in a sinful, broken world, is beyond our human limitations.
Anything in us that looks bright and brilliant is a product of our roots going deep and wide, a result of our being connected to Christ and to fellow Christ followers. It’s what is going on below the surface, on the inside, that makes all the difference. It’s Christ in us!
We are one organism – one body sharing the same DNA as those who have been created and transformed in His likeness. In the words of 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Together ‘we’ are the body of Christ. Each one of ‘us’ is part of his body.”
We need to be surrounded by people who inspire us, empower us, and help motivate us in life. When we come together as one unit, our strength is multiplied, and nothing can stop what He has determined to accomplish in us and through us for His glory.
“They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” – Psalm 1:3