Throughout my life, I have spent summers in Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta. I have so many memories of meeting cousins from California, hiking trails that always had “just one more switchback”, fishing on the boat with Grandad and Grandpa Ted, and sleepovers in the bunkbeds at the cabin. I loved the mornings of birds chirping, the quiet evenings as the sun went down behind the mountains, and the sound of the flowing water of Cameron Falls. I have continued to visit Waterton as often as possible, sharing this beautiful place with my family so they can have their own experiences with the place I love so much.
Many years ago, I was on a simple hike and came upon a park ranger leading a group. I stopped to listen and followed along to hear the interesting facts about the trail and the forest that surrounded us. One thing I particularly remember is when the ranger discussed forest fires. He explained how wildfires are a natural part of the forest life cycle. Fire helps clear the forest to promote new growth, recycle nutrients back into the soil, and kill invasive species and pests. The seeds of the lodgepole pine tree are fully enclosed in resin, and it takes the heat of a forest fire to open them. The ranger continued to say that there had been attempts to have controlled burns in some areas, but they didn’t reach the temperature needed to melt the resin. As he was talking, he indicated that Waterton was long overdue for a natural wildfire.
Fire Brings Cleansing and Growth to the Forest
Several years later, in late August 2017, a lightning strike ignited what would become known as the Kenow fire. This fire burned approximately 35,000 hectares of land (19,000 hectares within the park) and caused the evacuation of many homes in the area, including the entirety of Waterton. So many watched in angst as the fire threatened the townsite and the iconic Prince of Wales Hotel. We owe thanks to the firefighters from all over who came to protect what they could and risked their lives to do so, but many homes and properties close to the park boundaries were lost.
The landscape that was so familiar to many was changed in what felt like an instant. Black and bare, the mountain sides looked as though they would never recover. However, sprouts quickly came through the dark ground. Today, there are lodgepole pine saplings growing everywhere in the devastated forest. The trees that were not fully burned will decompose and provide nutrients for the new growth. The land is renewed, lush, and thriving. Waterton has changed, but the beauty remains, and those who know what happened will always marvel at the transformation that has taken place.
Our Souls Are Purified by Fire
Just like a forest needs a fire as part of its life cycle, each of us needs the cleansing power of Jesus Christ in our lives. We will face trials, some of which are a result of our own actions or the actions of others. Other trials are unavoidable as we journey through life. As we are “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us]” (Mosiah 3:19), we are strengthened and changed for the better. Elder Quentin L. Cook said, “There are many kinds of challenges. Some give us necessary experiences. Adverse results in this mortal life are not evidence of lack of faith or of an imperfection in our Father in Heaven’s overall plan. The refiner’s fire is real, and qualities of character and righteousness that are forged in the furnace of affliction perfect and purify us and prepare us to meet God” (Ensign, Nov. 2011, 106).
Do you ever question why? Why do bad things happen to us? Why do we struggle so much to do what is right? Perhaps, like me, you’ve sometimes felt it was only you who feels this way—standing alone while the fire rages around you, with no way out.
The Atonement of Jesus Christ Is the Key
We have been told repeatedly that God loves us and that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins and suffered pain to comfort us. But when those hard times come, when we make mistakes and struggle to repent, do we really believe what we have been told?
Satan tries to convince us that it doesn’t apply to us, that we don’t matter to God. Sister Kristin Yee’s talk in the October 2024 General Conference helped me see that Heavenly Father is a loving Father who is aware of every aspect of our lives. She shared, “You may feel at times that it’s not possible to be redeemed, that perhaps you are an exception to God’s love and the Saviour’s atoning power because of what you are struggling with or because of what you’ve done.'
'But I testify that you are not beneath the Master’s reach. The Saviour “descended below all things” and is in a divine position to lift you and claim you from the darkest abyss and bring you into “his marvellous light.” (Liahona, Nov. 2024, 57)
Just like the forest that grows back stronger and renewed after a fire, we are touched by the Master’s reach every day as we face our trials. We will become more like Him than we ever imagined we could be.