I recently returned from a trip to Vermont. During this visit, we went on an outing to Mt.
Washington which is in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the tallest point in
the northeast. We took a cog train to the top and the closer we got, the lower the
temperature dropped and the trees became sparser. The trees at the bottom were tall
and full and close together. By the time we got to the top, there were only small, single
trees sprinkled around.

Those small trees were vulnerable in the open area, trying to survive with the winds
howling and the snow and cold threatening their very existence. They had no protection,
their roots were not deep and many had fallen over, not because they were weak, but
because they were isolated.

I would have loved to see those small trees in the midst of a forest like at the bottom of
the mountain. The trees surrounding the single tree would have buffered it from the
wind. Their intertwined roots help to support each other and they stand strong together
and survive.

This is like the body of Christ. We were never meant to go through life alone. Paul
writes in 1 Corinthians 12:27- Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you
is a part of it. Just as a forest stands strong and solid through unity, so do we. When
we face storms in our own lives, standing with our brothers and sisters in Christ, lifting
up one another in prayer and love, we can withstand those storms.
God created us for fellowship and shared strength. A single tree may fall, but a forest
stands firm. Let’s gather with strength and devotion to uplift each other and stand firm in
God’s unconditional love.

Patty