Hey Church!
I recently travelled with my son’s 7th grade science class to spend the day at John Pennekamp Park in Key Largo. We learned about various species of life, some that are native to Florida and others that are invasive. We saw some large lizards with red heads and tails (No offense, God, but these “African redheaded agamas” kinda’ creep me out, so can they maybe not make their way north of the Keys? Please?):
We saw all kinds of wildlife–in the ocean, on a nature trail, and in Pennekamp’s aquarium. I was reminded of what a vivid imagination our Creator-God has! But one creation in the Keys that also highlights our Redeemer-God’s nature is the Mangrove Tree.
Mangroves are everywhere in the Keys. Their long roots stretch above the water and overlap in a way that protects the shorelines from the damaging forces of surge, erosion, and even hurricanes. Beneath the surface, they seemingly defy science by plunging into the saltwater–a sure death sentence for any other tree–anchoring itself in the sand below, and miraculously drawing essential nutrients all the way up to its broad, green leaves above.
In addition to protecting the shoreline, much of the Florida Keys’ ecosystem relies on these amazing trees. Their intricate root system provides shelter from prey and a nursery for the young. Fish, turtles, birds, and land animals reproduce among the safety of their shores because they know (which is, itself, amazing!) that the first few months of their hatchlings’ and newborns’ lives would be wrought with danger and few would survive without the protection given among the mangroves.
Their roots also serve as a filter, purifying the water around them. Their leaves, like other trees, trade carbon dioxide for oxygen. And whereas an ordinary tree with a rigid trunk and stiff branches might break in a storm, when the mighty waves crash into the mangroves, their roots remain set while the rest of the tree bends with the tide, preventing breakage while also protecting everything behind it from the power of storm surge.
Here’s a short video of how they work:
One last incredible thing I wanted to share with you about mangroves is something known as a “Jesus leaf.” Each cluster of leaves on mangrove trees has one yellow leaf. It turns yellow, dies, and falls into the water as a result of salt absorption. It quite literally sacrifices itself by taking all of the salt content into itself so that the other leaves can receive fresh water. Without this “Jesus leaf,” the tree would die.
I don’t know what Jesus’ invitation to you might be today, but I can think of a few possibilities related to these incredible trees.
Is He inviting you to trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross for your sin? The Bible tells us that it is perfectly healthy to feel remorse over our sin, but after you have confessed with a repentant heart, there is no longer permission for shame, guilt, or regret. Those are lies of the enemy. Jesus has already removed the shame of your sin “as far as the east is from the west” and He “remembers it no more.” Be at peace with Him and drink from living water today.
Or, perhaps you read about this “Jesus leaf” and sense the Holy Spirit inviting you to be that sacrificial servant for someone under your care. Is your employee taking heat for a choice or mistake that you can absorb for them? Is there a disagreement in which you are 100% sure you’re in the right but maybe He’s calling you to be the first to apologize, own your part, and seek reconciliation? Are your children, or your spouse, under some heavy burden that you can take upon yourself? If so, the invitation is to be the Jesus leaf to them!
Lastly, though there may be many others, is it possible that you are living like a rigid branch, unwilling to accept the changing tides, or the discipline of your loving Heavenly Father? To borrow from Dante Alighieri’s metaphor in The Divine Comedy, might the Spirit be inviting you to be more like a “malleable reed,” which receives life’s storms as from the hand of a good God?1 Do not resist Him, but trust in His good (and perfect) intentions towards you, and choose to bend your will to His today.
We have a new song this week called “Owe You Praise.” As always, I would encourage you to add it to your weekend playlist to help you prepare to sing it on Sunday! It is linked below with the other songs we plan to sing in our services.
Your brother,
Ryan
1 Purgatory, 9. “All round this little island at the base, where the waves pound against the mountain’s shore, reeds grow in the soft mud. No other plants that break out into leaf or stand upright with stiffened trunk can long survive the place, but yield to all the battering of the waves.”