Coincidence or God's Design

(Updated 5/13/2022)

Happy Monday to You, Leaders!

I hope your weekend was restful and you’re stepping with energy into another week.  

Last week, we shared some ways to bring fall leaves into learning. Then, on Sunday our church delivered a message rooted in trees. I never interpret the interconnectivity of random events randomly. I choose to see them as God's design. But I don't want to stop there. I want to give God the recognition for the connection.

In response, I'm sharing the connection with you today because the main point of the message was that we are stronger in community.  That is how God intended us to live. The prop from nature that the pastor used to demonstrate God's desire for our interconnectivity was redwood roots.  When one redwood tree is sick, all the other trees stop growing and send their nutrients through the root system to the sick tree to help it heal.  Moreover, if the tree is to die, many new trees grow from it.  Look at the community of trees that spring from a dead redwood:


A prop in nature that helps us remember we are woven together, built for support, and even in death new life springs forth.
This photo of Trees of Mystery is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Then, as if God wasn't already connecting events enough for me, I walked outside and saw this (to quote my sister, "I love it when God shows off"):

A message from God to remind me He is with me always.

Never in my life have I seen a katydid. Admittedly, I didn’t even know what it was. “A leaf bug!”  I shouted to the Mr.,  “There’s a leaf bug on our porch!”  He rushed down to take pictures of it. It graced us with its presence for quite some time.

You see, God is all around us.  It’s all about whether you choose to notice Him or not. I am learning to seize these moments. To take the time to recognize them for what they truly are. To acknowledge that God is with us, communicating with us, and allowing that joy to wash over me. To me, that katydid was God saying, “I am in nature. I do use nature to communicate. I want you to know I am with you.”  And to connect to you, I wanted to share my "Godincidence" with you today.  

Listen, Leaders. Katydids are cool. I’m grateful God shared this one with me. Here are some things I learned about katydids:

  1. Their name is the melody they sing: Ka-ty-did. Ka-ty-did-nt.
  2. Due to their nocturnal lifestyle, people rarely see them.
  3. Katydids are related to grasshoppers and crickets.
  4. Treetops are where they mostly hang out. 
  5. While they can fly, they usually prefer to glide down and climb back up.

Thanks for letting me share my awe and wonder of katydids with you.  Here’s to hoping you find awe and wonder in today!

With Love from Our Kitchen,
Offering samplings of life by a husband and wife

Interested in more faith-related blogs?  Then you're looking for Faith Food.  At Faith Food, you'll find links to all our faith-related blogs and a short description of each.

List o’ Sources (should you want to research further)
Redwoods
http://marinmg.ucanr.edu/Marin_Master_Gardener_Help_Desk/Leaflet/Redwood_trees_are_horticultural_marvels/
www.savetheredwoods.org/blog/forest/share-and-share-alike/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_sempervirens
https://www.livescience.com/39461-sequoias-redwood-trees.html

Katydids
https://www.insectidentification.org/
http://www.bugfacts.net/katydid.php
http://www.karensgardentips.com/critters-animals-in-the-garden/katydids-ten-interesting-facts/
https://www.britannica.com/animal/long-horned-grasshopper
http://songsofinsects.com/katydids/common-true-katydid
 


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