Last week I was deep in the Louisiana bayou. I wasn’t alone, but with my EC, and our crazy Cajun driver named Gary. Zipping across the swamp in an airboat, (while feeling like Johnny Quest) was a fun adventure, and completely out of the realm of our day-to-day experience. A strange place for a gospel lesson – but you know me.
When the loud drone of the fan blade stopped, the swamp was remarkably serene and beautiful. We saw herons and sparrows, and ‘gators and turtles. One of the biggest surprises was that it smelled fresh, and good. I went in expecting the rotten smell of stagnant water (which it looked like), but was glad to be very wrong in my expectation.
One of the most familiar sites in the bayou were the classic cypress trees, covered with Spanish moss. You’ve probably all seen them, either in movies, in person, or at Pirates of the Caribbean, at Disneyland. Here is a picture to remind you:
Let me put this in perspective: Most everywhere we went was covered in water. Gary told us that it is usually a few feet deep, with another several feed of mud and yuck underneath. Yet rising up from this water and muck were these huge cypress trees, (Bald Cypress to be exact, Taxodium Distichum, to be technical, and the State Tree of Louisiana to be trivial.)
Some of them were giant, rising hundreds of feet in the air.
I was curious about how such tall trees could exist in such a soggy environment. We have palm trees where I live, and I know how they bend with the wind to weather the storms, but these huge hardwood trees deal with storms like Hurricane Katrina, and still stand for hundreds of years. How is it that they don’t flop over with the slightest breeze, given that they are living in muck?
So I asked Gary.
He told me the cypress trees survive, and thrive in the swamp for two reasons: First, each cypress has tap root that goes down very deep, through the water, and mud and muck. Down to where the dirt and rock are solid, and it can establish a secure foundation.
Second, each cypress tree sends our roots laterally, through the water and muck. I figured that these roots would help give the tree stability, but when I researched more, I learned that it was more than that. The lateral roots from one cypress tree comingle with the lateral roots from other cypress trees, often forming a sort of root lattice, interlocking many trees together. When water levels surge, and the winds blow, the trees hang onto each other by their network of roots.
The tap root by itself was not enough to ensure stability, as each tree needed to reach its roots out to the other trees.
The lateral roots weren’t enough by themselves, either. Each tree needed to have its own deep tap root for stability in the worst of conditions.
And that is how the cypress trees can live is a mucky environment, and still stand strong in the storms.
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Now, I imagine that I could probably stop there, and the analogy would be adequate, but I feel like spelling it out and adding a few more thoughts.
Each one of us needs to establish a personal relationship with, and testimony of Jesus Christ. This is the tap root that will anchor us when the storms rage around us. We know the Savior is our “sure foundation.”
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said it this way, “The winds of false doctrine that are blowing today both outside and a few within the Church are far more dangerous to the ultimate salvation of mankind than are earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters. These winds can uproot people if their roots are not firmly anchored to the Rock of our salvation, which is the teachings and the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (Deep Roots.)
The idea of a lattice-work of support from other trees is easily interpreted as our fellow members in the Church. One of our responsibilities as members of the Church is to take care of each other. Alma taught it this way:
“…and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light.” (Mosiah 18:9)
As it is with the cypress tree, we need to have both the tap root and the lattice work of roots – or more directly, each one of us needs our testimony firmly rooted in the Savior, and a support system with our fellow saints.
I think sometimes we forget that both are required for strength and stability. Sometimes testimonies can be built on our friends and family, and our support system can be very strong, but we lack the deeply rooted testimony and relationship with the Savior that is required of us.
On the other side, it is quite possible to feel so secure enough in our testimony of the Savior, that we feel that we can do without mere mortals, and the headaches that can accompany participating with them. We find ourselves hunkering down, isolating ourselves – especially through difficult times – because we feel secure in our personal testimonies. (I sometimes struggle with the “hermit” mentality.)
I think that might be dangerous. It has been made clear throughout all scripture and the teachings of modern prophets that we have an obligation to support, teach, serve, and rescue each other. Simple put, “When you art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:3)
I would suggest that if we are unwilling, or not desirous to be a part of the latticework of saints, then our tap root, and foundation in Christ may not actually be as real as we would suppose.
Serving our fellow men, strengthening them, bearing each other’s burdens, and being a part of the community of saints is a natural result of a testimony of the Savior. Shirking, or shrinking from that social responsibility is an indication that our tap root – our foundation – is not really what we pretend it to be.
As with the cypress tree, both our tap root and support roots are necessary – it is not an either/or scenario. The waters can run deep. The world is full of all sorts of vile muck. The winds will howl, and the rains will come. We can stand firm through it all, but it takes more than a testimony of the Savior, and it takes more than having supportive friends.
It takes both.
Loved the analogy but the real question is, did you get to feed the gators marshmallows? The secret to any real bayou tour is feeding the ‘tame’ gators marshmallows.
PERFECT! thank you! (today at our primary presidency meeting we were discussing plans & ideas of how we could better fulfill our responsibilities (as listed int he handbook) to not replace parents as the primary teachers for the their children but to SUPPORT parents and families. One idea suggested was to do home visits (a huge undertaking with as many children as we have) and do a mini lessons that could both be an inspirational message and show the parents how to have meaningful lessons with young children. I think this analogy may turn out to be a perfect lesson to share… (for a few families especially…) THANK YOU
This is such a powerful analogy that I had to pop out of lurking status and thank you for it. I really appreciate your insights. After a lifetime of lessons about gospel principles, I find that I pretty much understand the principles now (though there is always room for more understanding) and am finding strength in seeing how other people apply those principles to their lives and make them work in real life. There is great strength to be found in this blog!
Thank you! And welcome to the party!
Thank you for posting this. It answers a question about sharing trials that I have long wondered about. An answer to prayer.
Well said! Another fine Moses 6:63 moment! Giant redwoods and sequoias have the same shallow spreading root systems, and I have made that analogy in the past to our need for community to weather life’s storms. But they have NO tap root. The cyprus is a much grander analogy! Thanks.
Umm…were you listening in on the conversation I had with my mom earlier?
I had been thinking maybe I could get by with just a “deep tap root”. The humans can be so difficult! (not me, of course)
It is amazing how you can take simple things and pull such wonderful spiritual lessons for all of us to learn from! Great reminders, as always! Thanks for sharing your insights!
Absolutely lovely, thank you.
Amazing! I didn’t know that about cypress trees. And I love the analogy about how we need both Christ and mortals in our lives. It is easier sometimes to isolate ourselves other than deal with the trials others can bring. But heaven won’t be an island just for us, so we need to learn to get along.
I love how you relate everything to the gospel and to Christ. This helps me look for for how even the small things in my life can also testify of Christ. I am so grateful for your writing and testimony building in my life. Thank you!
Great post! Its funny because I spent some time down there several years ago, in Louisiana, and we expected it to be hot and miserable in the swamp area. We went camping at Lake Bistineau and it was wonderful, it was actually cooler there then is was in Dallas where we had been. Pretty much every stereotype or assumption that we had made about the swamp area turned out to be wrong, there is a lesson there too. To the post and the Cypress trees, that is so fascinating and what a great metaphor. I had no idea that they lived in families basically, I thought that was just Aspens which is why Aspens are my favorite trees. These Cypress are just as awesome. Did you notice that here and there you’d see a dead one? I wonder how that happens? Why some of the Cypress live so long and do so well and others don’t and die? Kind of fits in with your metaphor, don’t abandon anyone and leave them out to die a spiritual death. You hit another home run MMM, thanks for sharing this!
Your blog postings remind me of the back cover of the old Instructor magazine, where there was a monthly column by Wendell Ashton, brother of Apostle Marvin Ashton. They were always “spot on” just like yours are. You have a gift, and it is wonderful that you are sharing it. Thanks so much.
I’m so grateful to have found this wonderful blog and your amazing insights. Thanks for becoming one of my lateral roots!!
I remember taking a bayou tour in the early 90’s,before Hurricane Katrina days.We went on a small boat piloted by an umpteenth generation Cajun named Jerry ,(I think that was his name) He knew everything there was about the bayous.His boat was called “Chacahoula”.We asked him what it meant,and he said it was a Choctaw word meaning “Beloved Home” or “Beloved Cypress”.I always remembered that for some reason. In context to what you wrote above.. he told us also how the roots interlock and all the trees form a community to withstand the harsh conditions of the bayous,without breaking.And I also thought at the time how if we too would learn to plant deep roots and use the community of family and Saints to help us through..we could stand strong.
I haven’t thought about that for awhile..so it was very interesting and comforting to me to hear this concept again,and your take on it. I also look for lessons and/or insights in life experiences,so I very much enjoy the insights you bring to things that happen everyday,that unless you are open and aware, you can miss..Thanks!
Good thoughts.
My mind does not work like yours, in fact my mind hardly works….I like how your’s works much better. Every single post I read of yours I say, “Spot On!” Your posts are food for my weak mind. Thank you so very much for another mind feast.
Thanks again for that sunday “tip”… i also struggle with the hermit within me… though sometimes it feels like Kermit!!
I needed this today. As an EQ president it can be hard to reach out my roots and to search out those with weaker roots
It’s funny. I have been in my current ward for a little over a year. I was deeply offended shortly after moving in, by women in the RS and also the RS president. In that moment, I said through tears to my husband, “It’s fine. I don’t need friends at church. I’m perfectly content to come and partake of the blessings of the gospel and the sacrament and I’ll do my calling but I’ll just do it without friends.” I then said that I would not attend RS activities or the like because of my great offense. I haven’t really missed the activities and honestly it is best if I don’t go (young kids, other callings time commitment) but I have desperately missed the friendships that I had in my previous ward. The friendships are coming but it is taking time. And honestly it is taking the effort of people who are less likely to be offended than I am. So there was this post, and your previous post about taking offense. Ha. I wonder if it’s time for me to reevaluate a few things.