At the risk of sounding like a scientific journey, or taking a position on what’s happening to the physical world around us, I can’t help but share what I’ve learned this week.
As you may recall, not long ago I wrote about the amazing ways that God builds into his creatures (cardinals and hawks) the instincts and DNA to help them live their lives on this earth. I think we can quite easily grasp that it makes sense for us to see God in his living, breathing creation.
That’s why I was taken back a bit while reading my latest book. I strayed from my normal genre (mysteries, police procedurals), and am reading a book entitled “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson. Bill was born in Des Moines, attended Drake University and now lives in the UK. He is a New York Times Bestselling author along with having received numerous other journalistic awards.
This particular book I’m reading is about his experience hiking the Appalachian Trail – at least a portion of it. Don’t worry, this isn’t a book review! Just needed to give you a bit of background.
When you spend months walking through mountains and forests like Bill did, you can’t help but learn a few things – or have your interests piqued. So I want to share some astonishing facts about the “life and times” of trees, compliments of Mr. Bryson’s research.
From the book:
“To combat this [invasive organisms], trees have formed elaborate defense mechanisms. The reason a rubber tree seeps latex when cut is that this is its way of saying to insects and other organisms, ‘Not tasty. Nothing here for you. Go away.’
“Trees can also deter destructive creatures like caterpillars by flooding their leaves with tannin, which makes the leaves less tasty and so inclines the caterpillars to look elsewhere. When infestations are particularly severe, some trees can even communicate the fact.
“Some species of oak release a chemical that tells other oaks in the vicinity that an attack is under way. In response, the neighboring oaks step up their tannin production to better withstand the coming onslaught.”
Is it just me or is this mind-blowing? I’m not even a science nerd and I find this absolutely fascinating. Think about it. The trees instinctively know how to respond to potential danger by putting defenses in place. There are no brains involved here like there are with members of the animal kingdom, albeit pretty primitive. And these trees can help out their whole neighborhood as well!
The intricate design that has been discovered by botanists through the ages is likely just the tip of the iceberg (or treetop) of all the incredible ways that God has built intentionality into every living thing. Even those with no brains!
What these revelations caused me to do is stop, fully appreciate the complexities, and then be evermore grateful that the God who designed this entire, magnificent universe, is the God I worship. The God who saved me. The God who will also restore this fallen, decaying world to its original-intended beauty, a beauty far beyond what we can imagine looking at our world today.
That’s the world where God’s Church will spend eternity, not floating around up in the clouds. If that’s a new concept to you, I’d highly recommend you check out Randy Alcorn’s book, “Heaven.” Just like the oak’s defense mechanism, it will blow your mind!
Thanks for taking this little detour with me. While it may seem a bit irrelevant on the surface, I believe any learning that causes us to grasp even one more iota of God’s magnificence is time well spent.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Psalm 19:1
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