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THE
VALLEY OF THE WINDFALLS
Down in the Cypress Hills Provincial
Park, a few miles south of Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, you will
discover a number of Nature Trails. The park
supervisor will provide you with information that will make
these hikes something to remember and appreciate…for they tell
a story written by the hand of nature, bearing eloquent
testimony of things that happened many years ago.
One trail is called: “The Valley of the Beavers.”
On it you will see evidence of the skill and architecture of
these industrious creatures.
One of the most
impressive and unforgettable hikes, takes you through a tour
of “The Valley of the Windfalls.” Although the
circular hike is less than one mile in distance, the sights
and scenes cover many hundreds of years in
history. A heap of shelled pine cones tells the
story of the chattering red squirrel and his industrious
provision for the long winter hibernation. A
narrow pathway leads to a water hole, where deer tracks reveal
the presence of these animals satisfying their thirst at the
cool shady spring. An old log shows the handiwork
of the woodpecker whose sharp bill like a riveter, leaves it
pock-marked with scars or hollowed out for a nest.
Almost every turn on the path through the Valley of the
Windfalls is filled with interesting evidence of things that
happened long ago.
The Windfalls themselves, are
might trees that were toppled by storms in the
past. They lie prone and useless with their toots
torn from the soil, to which they had been
anchored. They crisscross in various directions,
according to the battering of the storm which blew them
down. Some fell long ago and their trunks are well
rotted and blending with the soil from which they
came. Others apparently were felled in more recent
times and the soil still clings to their roots.
Once these proud trees stood tall and stately with their
majestic branches affording shelter and protection from the
elements. The harsh snows of winter failed to kill
them. They drank up the raindrops and towered
towards the sunshine. They appeared to be strong
and permanent like other trees in the dense
forest. Why did these particular trees topple
before the onslaught of the storm? Why did other
trees stand and what was the difference?
It
should be observed that two qualities are essential to give a
tree strength and endurance. They need a sound
heart and also a secure root. The harsh testing
which natural things must undergo, reveal whether either of
these qualities is lacking. The oak tree may
break, while the grass only bends. Under ideal
conditions one may not detect the disease within the tree that
is rotting its core, but the storm plays no
favorites. A soft green carpet of spongy soil may
hide a shallow root for awhile, but the wind will not spare it
from its savage gusts. The rotted tree
breaks. The shallow root gives way under
strain.
The Valley of the Windfalls presents a scene of
charm and picturesque beauty. But it also conveys
a sense of sadness as you view these fallen timbers that
crashed in the storms long ago. Their grotesque
roots sprawling in a tangled mass, betray their weakness even
though that weakness was not revealed until after the
storm. Their testimony is one of failure under
stress. The squirrels still chatter in the high
branches of surrounding trees. The trill of birds
can be clearly heard in the quiet air. The
chipmunk and the woodpecker still carry on their
trade. The cycle of nature goes on for every
living creature, while these windfalls lie where they fell,
giving mute evidence that their roots were not deep
enough.
Life affords many parallels to the
Valley of the Windfalls. Some men stand high in
public trust and have a respectable reputation, but life has
its storms and its testings too. Woe to the man
who is not strong enough to weather temptation and surmount
pressures to compromise right principles. Good
captains are not made in secluded harbors or tranquil
seas. Good soldiers are not made in barracks or
produced with sight-seeing trips. Soldiers on
parade all look much alike, but soldiers under fire reveal how
deep the roots of discipline have penetrated. It’s
the bursting shells and the whine of the bullets that test the
mettle of the man.
There’s a lesson which
everyone can learn from nature. It’s what happens
under the storms of persecution and the onslaught of doubts,
fears, temptations and other forms of testing that reveal the
true caliber of character. Many, sad to say, have
gone down, under such circumstances. Christians
are to be rooted and grounded in love.” (Eph.
3:17) The heart must be pure and sound or time
will reveal the inner lack.
If the inner glow of
spiritual life has ceased to invigorate the soul, watch
out. If the root is only clinging to some spongy
soil of compromise, it will not endure. Sooner or
later it will topple. When a tree cannot bear up
before the elements, the result is interesting, but when a man
succumbs to similar circumstances, the result is heart
breaking and tragic indeed. Don’t let your reach
exceed your grasp. If you hope to reach heaven’s
height, be sure your roots grip the solid rock. Be
sure the shelter you offer is not provided by branches
clinging to hollow trees. Life’s Valley of the
Windfalls provides some very harsh lessons of what weakness
will do. Let’s seek to excel in
strength.
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