Except on Sundays, it is my habit to walk about two miles every day for exercise. One of my nearby neighbors owns a fine piece of wooded property, and he has graciously allowed me to roam there at will for this purpose. I have found, over the years, that there is always something interesting happening in that part of God’s creation.
For instance, among my favorite things to monitor during these daily walks is the diversity of trees and their changing conditions over the course of the seasons. The American Persimmon (not to be confused with the Asian variety whose fruit is sometimes available in the grocery store) is well-represented in this area; in fact, a nice specimen stands just a few paces from the edge of my neighbor’s yard. Since persimmons are dioecious*, I had often wondered whether this particular tree was a male or a female. Having never seen it bear fruit, I’d always assumed that it was male. Sure enough, this past spring, I happened to notice that the ground beneath the tree was littered with many tiny, pale yellowish-green flowers – that sight confirmed it to be male.
The natural science explanation for this identification is: each spring, the wind carries pollen from the flowers that the male persimmon trees produce to any female persimmon trees that are in the area. (In fact, there is a female tree about 300 feet away from whose branches I’ve enjoyed many delicious fruits on my walks on mid-October mornings.) After the male’s flowers are exhausted of their pollen, they drop to the ground, gradually decaying and returning their nutrients to the soil under the very same tree from whence they came.
That spring day I stood for a while gazing up at the tree and then down at the spent flowers surrounding the trunk. From my human perspective, it was a poignant thing to observe. This male tree’s only purpose was to produce pollen. For most of the year, it will stand quiet and immobile until another spring arrives; a new crop of male flowers will develop, the pollen will be released, the blossoms will die and fall to the ground – a cycle that will repeat itself for decades. In addition, the tree’s roots will keep it anchored in one spot until the end of its life. It will never “know” or even “see” the female trees that it pollinates.
This brief experience gave me a more focused understanding of the role which God has given to me as a male, gratefully created in His image, and as a husband. Unlike a male persimmon tree, I was not created simply to participate in the reproduction of the species. I was created to know my wife and to love her in a particular way – as Ephesians 5:25 states: “…as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.” Unlike a male persimmon tree, I was not created to be silent and inert. I was created to be an active leader, the head of my household (I Corinthians 11:3; I Timothy 3:4.) The male persimmon tree – even as faithfully as he performs his assignment – was created for a very limited function in this world. I was created to carry out a far greater responsibility in the lives of others: to love and provide for – with humility and dependence on the Lord -- those in my care.
As I finished my walk and returned home, my prayer was: May I and all other married Christian men be granted the grace, guidance, and ability to live out the glorious purpose in our marriages for which we were particularly created by You, our wise Creator God – to lead, protect, and serve our families as the Lord Jesus Christ does His Bride, the Church.
David Megahan, Ruling Elder
* dioecious: plant species which have distinct male and female organisms
For instance, among my favorite things to monitor during these daily walks is the diversity of trees and their changing conditions over the course of the seasons. The American Persimmon (not to be confused with the Asian variety whose fruit is sometimes available in the grocery store) is well-represented in this area; in fact, a nice specimen stands just a few paces from the edge of my neighbor’s yard. Since persimmons are dioecious*, I had often wondered whether this particular tree was a male or a female. Having never seen it bear fruit, I’d always assumed that it was male. Sure enough, this past spring, I happened to notice that the ground beneath the tree was littered with many tiny, pale yellowish-green flowers – that sight confirmed it to be male.
The natural science explanation for this identification is: each spring, the wind carries pollen from the flowers that the male persimmon trees produce to any female persimmon trees that are in the area. (In fact, there is a female tree about 300 feet away from whose branches I’ve enjoyed many delicious fruits on my walks on mid-October mornings.) After the male’s flowers are exhausted of their pollen, they drop to the ground, gradually decaying and returning their nutrients to the soil under the very same tree from whence they came.
That spring day I stood for a while gazing up at the tree and then down at the spent flowers surrounding the trunk. From my human perspective, it was a poignant thing to observe. This male tree’s only purpose was to produce pollen. For most of the year, it will stand quiet and immobile until another spring arrives; a new crop of male flowers will develop, the pollen will be released, the blossoms will die and fall to the ground – a cycle that will repeat itself for decades. In addition, the tree’s roots will keep it anchored in one spot until the end of its life. It will never “know” or even “see” the female trees that it pollinates.
This brief experience gave me a more focused understanding of the role which God has given to me as a male, gratefully created in His image, and as a husband. Unlike a male persimmon tree, I was not created simply to participate in the reproduction of the species. I was created to know my wife and to love her in a particular way – as Ephesians 5:25 states: “…as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.” Unlike a male persimmon tree, I was not created to be silent and inert. I was created to be an active leader, the head of my household (I Corinthians 11:3; I Timothy 3:4.) The male persimmon tree – even as faithfully as he performs his assignment – was created for a very limited function in this world. I was created to carry out a far greater responsibility in the lives of others: to love and provide for – with humility and dependence on the Lord -- those in my care.
As I finished my walk and returned home, my prayer was: May I and all other married Christian men be granted the grace, guidance, and ability to live out the glorious purpose in our marriages for which we were particularly created by You, our wise Creator God – to lead, protect, and serve our families as the Lord Jesus Christ does His Bride, the Church.
David Megahan, Ruling Elder
* dioecious: plant species which have distinct male and female organisms
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