Of Redwoods and Rivers and Sand Dunes

“Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow he does not endure. …At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant.”

Job 14:1-9

Time for a hike today, ladies. Lady Bird Johnson Grove beckons. In June, or so the park ranger tells us, the rhododendrons are in beautiful bloom. Today we are amazed by all the lush ferns carpeting the forest floor. The trail through the tropical rainforest proves to be extremely refreshing. Some of the old redwoods are monstrous. So are the fallen logs and stumps, purposefully left au naturel by the park service, to do their thing—shoot sprouts of new growth up to the sun. I am intrigued.

Fortunately the plaques along the way tell the story. In short, the coast redwoods reproduce by seeds and stump sprouts. A ton (not literally) of seeds will be produced; but many are not viable, plus the shade and thick ground litter prevent germination. Instead the stumps have lateral roots which sprout buds which grow into trees. In addition, fallen dead trees decay becoming the perfect habitat for lush new growth with the fun names of nurse tree, nursery tree, or candelabra tree.

In his time of trouble, Job was pretty blunt: the fate of man is dismal; at least there is hope for a tree that has been cut down in its prime. 

Isaiah 11 is chock full of all the hope we need in its Messianic prophecy of Jesus:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of power,

the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—

and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

—Isaiah 11:1-3  

Jesus is the answer to the dilemma of Genesis, to the troubles of Job, to the pit you may be in. Only Jesus!

Nancy P