I am fascinated by the mulberry tree. As I went for a jog this morning, I was reminded of a phenomenon that I have always found interesting. When Susan and I lived in Canyon, we had a mulberry tree in our in our front yard and one in our back yard. All the leaves would be on the tree one day and they would all be on the ground the next day…literally, all of them. Today is that day. All of the mulberry trees in our neighborhood are shedding all of the leaves today. By the end of the day there will be few remaining leaves on any of the mulberry trees in Amarillo. (And, by the way, mulberry trees have an insane amount of leaves that all of a sudden you have to rake all at once!)
I don’t know of any other tree like this. In our yard now, we have two oak trees and a locust tree (thankfully a beanless one). Each of those trees shed their leaves over a period of time. The leaves slowly turn colors and a few leaves fall each day. Not so with the mulberry. It just gets rid of all of them at once.
As I was jogging this morning, the gentle falling of the mulberry leaves reminded me of the incredible creation of God. Why does the mulberry tree lose all of its leaves in one day while the oak tree sheds its leaves over a period of time? And why do some trees not lose their leaves (or needles) at all?
It doesn’t matter. It’s just a curiosity. What is important is that God created an amazing universe. No two things are identical. All of God’s creation reacts in different ways to the changing of the seasons, to the day and the night, to the cold and the heat. God, in His infinite wisdom, created a vast world with so many variations of beauty and intrigue. To witness the complexity of life and the intricacies woven into our world makes me know that I serve a mighty Creator. I am so thankful to know and have a relationship with Almighty God. I am so privileged to know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by a Father that loves me. If our Creator took such care in designing the changing of the seasons and the ways in which nature reacts to those changes, how much more must He care for me as one who is made in His image.
So, if you are blessed to have a mulberry tree in your yard and it has joined the ranks of the falling leaves, may it be a small reminder of the awesomeness of God’s creation. Now, do try to keep that in mind as you go through multiple boxes of yard bags and hours of your day raking up all those leaves…or perhaps it’s time to invest in a leaf blower!
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth….Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” (Genesis 1:1, 31 NLT)
Inside Bryan's Brain 