All of us have potential to be great. We can accomplish anything. Many of us have seen amazing trees at some point in our lives. For me trees inspire awe. Next time you see a giant redwood, a mighty oak, or a spreading willow stop and think about how it attained its magnificent stature. Today I would like to teach you about the beginnings of trees. If I asked you where do trees come from? What would you say? Most of us know that trees grow from seeds. But what do you know about the seed? We all can relate to the seeds of trees. Some of us have sprouted and begun growing. Others of us have yet to realize our potential and are in the stage of life known as germination.

Germination is the process by which a plant grows from a seed. There are many factors that make germination possible. Most of people think that if we simply bury a tree seed and water it, it will grow. This is not always the case. Many seeds require certain conditions to be met that allow for the germination of a seed. In the case of the oak tree, an acorn must endure freezing temperatures. This process is called stratification. The freezing temperatures help weaken the hard shell of the acorn and make it so that water can penetrate the seed and allow the tiny tree to sprout. If an acorn is taken in the fall and planted without enduring a period of cold It will not sprout. Never realizing its potential as an mighty oak. There are many different forms of stratification. There are seeds that must pass through the digestive tract of animals in order to properly germinate. Many pine trees will only germinate after experiencing the flames of a forest fire.

How does this relate to us? Each person has potential to be great. Yet, we are all different. We come from different backgrounds. We have different talents. We are all different types of seeds. We each require different trials and forces to germinate our lives. Just as water, good soil, and fertilizer are essential for growth. For many of us the trials of life are just as essential. If you are enduring the cold winter of life, wondering when will I sprout into the amazing tree I want to become. Remember, that if the little acorn never froze for months under the snow it would have never become the mighty oak. If the forest fire  didn’t  purge the old and dying and the heat of trial prepare the seed, the pines would never have grown into a mighty forest. Some of us might  feel like life is just chewing us up and spitting us out. Remember there are seeds that If they never digested by the animals of the earth they would never sprout into the great trees they are today.

So next time stop to admire a magnificent tree. Hopefully you’ll sit back and reflect on this small lesson. We all start from humble seeds. Eventually, the long winters loneliness, fires of trial, and life’s digestion will come. These trials break our shells and allow us to germinate. We can then water our souls, seek the best ground, and apply the fertilizer of life and grow into greatness.