I love discovering “life lessons” in the context of nature. Last month, my husband and I spent a few days hiking in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia. We had driven past Cape Breton Island, where the park is located, several times en route to Newfoundland (where we have family), each time musing about taking the famed Cabot Trail around the island, but until this year had never done so.

This was the year!

We arrived at the park in the late afternoon, checked into our Airbnb, and purchased our park tickets. After a quick fish and chips dinner (I won’t tell you how many times we ate fish and chips while in Canada!), we scanned the park map for something to do. Sunset on the eastern seaboard of Canada was well after 9:00 pm in July, so we had plenty of daylight hours remaining.

The Jack Pine Trail was not far away, and the Coastal Trail it connected to sounded like a gorgeous, relaxing way to end a long day of travel. We changed into our hiking boots, and easily located the trailhead.

Not only are my husband and I avid hikers, but we’re also a bit—okay, a lot— nerdy. We like to read all the information boards at the tourist attractions we visit. Doing so has allowed us to expand our historical, geological, ecological, and zoological (and probably some other -icals!) knowledge. (We really are nerds.)

At the trail, we learned that this particular Jack Pine stand exists only because of a fire that occurred in 1921. Conditions are more favorable in this area for the native spruce, fir, and aspen trees, and the Jack Pines were nearly crowded out of existence until fire swept through the area, destroying the competitors and enabling the Jack Pines to release the seeds from their cones (2 million seeds per acre!), something that could only occur at or above 122°F!

Did you catch the significance of that? A destructive event—a forest fire—caused exponential growth! Similarly, it’s often the painful, fiery trials in our lives that produce the most growth.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4 (English standard version)

In the novel I’m writing, Michael, my protagonist, must endure his own fiery trial—one that pushes him to his limits. Each time he thinks he can’t handle any more, things get even worse.

Have you ever felt that way? You’ve reached the end of your endurance. You can’t handle even one more setback. Like the Jack Pine forest, you are utterly destroyed by the fire.

Then a pine cone opens, the seeds fall out, and destruction gives way to growth. And before you realize it, a new forest is thriving.

Spoiler alert: Michael comes out stronger on the other side. And so can you.

Hmmm…

Maybe I should change my protagonist’s name to Jack?