2022-08 Destruction From Within

All the waters of the Seven Seas can't sink a ship unless it gets inside.

A giant tree was standing on the slopes of the Rockies when Columbus discovered America. How many times it had been hit by lightning and bent by storms before he came, we do not know. But there is visible evidence that lightning had hit it six or seven times since, and it has stood the ravages of floods, the destructive force of violent storms and has furnished shelter for many kinds of wild animals during these storms. But now it lays crumbling in decay on the mountain side, brought to that state by the work of termites eating away its strength and heart from within. Their destructive power was not visible from the outside until it was too late. The insidious work of hidden destroyers had felled a giant.

Every one of us is like this giant tree. We do our best to be strong, we have good roots as we live the scout oath and law. We do good turns to others as they seek shelter from the world. But, being involved in scouting does not make us immune to destructive powers. There are many things that want to harm you. Some of them are physical like drugs and alcohol. Others are emotional like bullying or comparing ourselves to others through social media.

This story has me reflecting on what type of termites I may have personally that are trying to eat away at my strength and heart from within.

As we go through life, let us continue to do a little bit better each day to be prepared against these metaphorical termites as we continue to do our best.