Legend of the Dogwood

     Have you ever examined a Dogwood tree blossom closely?

     We had a huge, old one in our yard. With a large, thick trunk and sturdy branches we could easily climb into and sit on. I can't imagine how old it was--I read they can live up to 80 years.

     They grow wild throughout North America and Europe and I observed tons of young ones dotting the woods with white on the drive home all the way through to southern Alabama. (I took the above photo at a rest stop in Alabama.) In Florida, you see them typically planted in yards, having been purchased, but in fall they are thick with clusters of red seeds and I suspect squirrels and birds seed they easily, so they escape quickly into the wild.

     There white outer leaves from a cross-like shape, with two being longer and two shorter and on each there is a rusty-reddish spot. The crown at the center is the actual flower.

     I remember my mother showing me a blossom and explaining that it symbolized the crucifixion of Jesus with those red spots on the edges of the white leaves signifying the blood of His hands, feet & head and the bristly looking center signifying the "Crown of Thorns" on Jesus head.

     This is the Legend of the Dogwood. The story goes that it was so deeply grieved that it was the tree used for making the cross Jesus Messiah was crucified on, that the Father blessed it to bear witness to the event in it's blossoms as a memorial for all time.

     Was the tree used to make the cross? No, that part isn't true. The tree is strictly native to North American and Europe.

    Does that mean the symbolism on the blossoms is accidental? I don't believe so. God's signature is all over His creation and since the crucifixion was a known and planned event before the world began, He probably created the tree blossoms like that as a commenoration and a reminder. On purpose, for those with eyes to see.  (See Ephesians 1: 2-3 and Genesis 3:14-15, which is the first prophecy.)

     If interested in recognizing more of His signature on creation, be sure to visit the Institute of Creation Research @ http://www.icr.org/ . They are a group of Jesus-following scientists committed to demonstrating evidence for this world having been created. It's fascinating stuff.  We get their free magazine, which you can also receive or sign-up for a free email devotional. They have a little devotional book like the Daily Bread they send out quarterly also.