3 minute read
Pine Cones
from May 2020
by Jennifer Cobb
Have you ever noticed a pine cone? Well, of course you have! Have you ever actually closely examined it or thought of the properties it possesses? I will spare you the details of the scientific name of a pine cone and which tree it obviously comes from. Instead, I want to focus on the seeds that lie within the pine cone. I have always had a beautiful fascination with nature, and trees and items that come from trees are my favorite. If you are walking on a hot spring day (thanks, Georgia), you will notice that most pine cones are opened; you would be able to stick your finger in between the spaces of the actual cone. But if you were out walking after a rain, or on a cold day, the spaces would be closed, through which you would not be able to poke your finger, and it would be quite prickly to the touch. Pine cones bear seeds, much like a lot of things in nature.
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During our whole quarantine situation as a nation, pine cones came to mind. I know that sounds really odd, but go with it for a second. Pine cones close up and protect their seeds
when they need to be fully protected. Pine cones open up to let their seeds be eaten or released to grow more pine trees in the future. During the historic COVID-19 events, grocery stores tried to keep certain things on shelves for weeks, even though items continued to run out quickly. Were people scared? Yes. But I believe that it was not so much about being fully scared as it was about being unprepared to face one of our greatest fears—the fear of not being able to protect our
“seed”: our children, our parents, or our closest friends and family.
That time really showed us that we are not in control: that God is fully in control. I do not want to debate on what went right or wrong during the events; I just know that this metaphor helped me through a tough time of uncertainty. If God is the pine tree, we are the pine cones, and the people we love are the seeds. He just wants us to flourish. In times of trouble, isn’t that what Christians are meant to do?
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