The Oak Tree

Elder M. Russel Ballard spoke to the students at BYU-Idaho on Saturday and he read this poem. The point Elder Ballard made was that we each have a responsibility to broaden our knowledge of the gospel and maybe more importantly to deepen our testimony of it. It raised the questions in my mind "How much time do I spend trying to learn the gospel with my head, and how much time to I spend trying to learn it with my heart? How much effort do I put into the depth of my testimony?"

This poem makes the point that we need to have deep roots. But how, you ask? My thought was that a single root is pretty weak by itself, but having multiple levels of roots fortify the tree. I think that making daily sacrifices to study, pray, serve, attend the temple, and so on all act as individual roots. Reading the scriptures once or twice a week does not offer much of a foundation when the winds blow. And if you don't think the winds are blowing, then it is probably because you are being carried around by them. But daily consistent effort can deepen our roots and prepare us for the future.

I hope you like the poem, and its implications in our lives.

A mighty wind blew night and day.
It stole the Oak Tree's leaves away.
Then snapped its boughs
and pulled its bark
until the Oak was tired and stark.

But still the Oak Tree held its ground
while other trees fell all around.
The weary wind gave up and spoke,
"How can you still be standing Oak?"

The Oak Tree said, I know that you
can break each branch of mine in two,
carry every leaf away,
shake my limbs and make me sway.

But I have roots stretched in the earth,
growing stronger since my birth.
You'll never touch them, for you see
they are the deepest part of me.

Until today, I wasn't sure
of just how much I could endure.
But now I've found with thanks to you,
I'm stronger than I ever knew.