Trees in the Wind - Learning from Adversity

In his April 2014 General Conference talk, Spiritual Whirlwinds, Elder Neil L. Andersen shared an interesting science lesson about trees and wind:

In nature, trees that grow up in a windy environment become stronger. As winds whip around a young sapling, forces inside the tree do two things. First, they stimulate the roots to grow faster and spread farther. Second, the forces in the tree start creating cell structures that actually make the trunk and branches thicker and more flexible to the pressure of the wind. These stronger roots and branches protect the tree from winds that are sure to return.

Naturally, there's a lesson in here about how adversity can strengthen us, but that's not what I'd like to focus on this evening. That's a lesson we've all heard a dozen times before. Instead, the lesson I really want to share is that our trials can teach us where we need to improve.

In an area without wind, a tree might think that the best way to grow would be to stretch their branches as tall and as wide as possible, so they could collect more sunlight, but this could make the tree top-heavy and may even cause it to fall over, even without wind. But if the tree experienced wind while it was growing, the tree may feel the need to shift its priorities from growing higher and longer branches to growing deeper and wider roots. It may seem funny to think of a plant making decisions about its priorities based on its circumstances, but it certainly makes sense for us.

We have full control over how we live our lives and what areas of our lives we develop. There are those who devote their lives to gaining more intelligence or more strength, for example. In the gospel, it's intended that we eventually develop all of the Christlike attributes, but it can be important to know which Christlike attribute we most need to work on right now, and adversities can help teach us that.

A tree that grows in a windy area needs to grow strong, deep roots, while a tree that lives in a cloudy area may be better off focussing on its branches. A tree that gets little water would try to grow its roots as long and as deep as possible, to collect as much water as it can, while a tree that grows where parasites are common would do well to build up defences against them.

Similarly, the trials we face can help us learn which Christlike attribute we personally need most at this stage in our lives. By testing our abilities, our trials can show us our weaknesses and the areas in which we most need to improve. They can help us adjust our priorities so we develop ourselves in a healthy and balanced way.

I don't know what Christlike attribute you most need to work on right now, but God does, and you can bet that if this is what it takes to show you what attribute you need to work on, God will send you a personalized trial that will teach you just how badly you need it.