For two miles, we walked steadily uphill. Climbing close to tree line, we reached a trail junction which meant we could now start across a slope on the next segment of our hike.
Within a short distance, we were walking through an area recovering from a past forest fire. These always present a fascinating scene as the new growth speaks of new life, almost like a resurrection from death. There were a number of little spruce and fir trees coming up around the fallen trees with the tallest of the new growth having reached no more than 15 of its eventual 40 feet.
That evening, we discovered this trail written up in one of our guidebooks. (You’re probably supposed to read these before hiking, not after.) As we retraced our steps through the writers words, we came to his description of the fire-damaged area. We were stunned to read the fire occurred 100 years ago. Because of the exposure to wind and cold, recovery was particularly slow in this area. What we had seen was the result of 100 years of attempted recovery by the natural elements. One disaster had truly meant long-term damage.
Our minds went to the time when Jehoshaphat made alliance with Ahab and Jezebel. One grave mistake, marrying his son Jehoram to their daughter, Athaliah, had devastating long-term impact. It was 125 years before the next righteous king, Hezekiah, arose in the family of David.
A singular sequence of events occurred 100 years ago in our community which still has repercussions in North America. No one can say how much community growth and individual development has suffered from the division that occurred. But the harm done is clearly still evident and many today seek to move forward the restoration process.
On a personal level, as well, we can make mistakes which effect our lives and those around us for a long time. Once the mistakes are made, we cannot undo them. We can, however, patiently pursue the process of recovery. And in our case, we can pursue recovery in confidence of the overshadowing love of God and the hope of the soon return of Christ.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One