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“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

The giant Sequoias are magnificent, something everyone should have the chance to see at some point in their lives.

Knowing my parents would likely never get out to see the Sequoias themselves, I tried (quite unsuccessfully) to capture their grandeur in a photograph. But no matter how many times I tried and no matter from what angle, the task proved to be impossible. They only way to experience the sequoias for the miracle they are is to stand next to one.

For they are nothing short of a miracle—all based on rules of interdependency and mutual support. Due to their massive size, sequoias cannot grow roots downward in the manner of an oak or maple tree. Instead, they have shallow, interlocking root systems, through which neighboring trees literally hold each other up. Sequoia seedlings are nurtured by mature trees around them, who shuttle food and nutrients through their root systems. Without this support baby sequoias wouldn’t have a hope of surviving under the canopy.

And the forest makes other sacrifices to the growth of the future generation. Mature sequoia trees have to weather wildfires because high temperatures are needed to release seeds from their cones. The undergrowth of the forest is burned, clearing the way for seedlings to take root and creating a nutrient-rich foundation to support their growth.

We later encountered another example of sacrifice in neighboring Kings Canyon National Park. It was much uglier, having come about by human hands. The Mark Twain Tree is the stump left behind when one of the great giants was cut down and transported to the East Coast of America in order to drum up support for the national parks. The giant stump is all that is left behind of the Mark Twain Tree. But its sacrifice helped to preserve the other magnificent giants that still stand.