Recently while staring at my Osage orange tree, I noticed a green and hairy structure growing on it. As I looked throughout the tree, I found others. At first glance, they reminded me of a disease or fungus. But upon further inspection, I noticed that the green growths were flowers without petals. The hairs sticking up were not hairs at all, but the female flower parts called pistils. Familiar with this tree, I could see how the three hundred hair-like pistils (and ovules) would one day become the fruit that I knew well.
I reached up with my hand pruners to cut a branch and look more closely at the flower. It was nestled snug against the branch on a tiny stalk. The green flower was hidden among the leaves, so it was understandable why I had missed seeing the flowers in years before.
I remembered that Osage orange trees are either male or female. The male trees also produce green flowers and release pollen into the wind. When female flowers are pollinated, the fruit grows into a large green ball with hundreds of seeds inside. The tree has dense, orange-colored wood that is heavy to carry and hard to cut with a saw. In addition to the common name Osage orange, it can also be called hedge apple. When trees are planted tightly in rows, their thorned branches form a living fence (hedge) to contain livestock.
It is easy to spot this tree because of the large citrus-smelling fruits that drop in my yard and are found along roadways.
The fruit often remains on the ground because few animals will eat it. After seeing the fruit nestled against the branch, I saw how God designed the tree to hold the heavy fruit until it ripens.
An osage orange tree is designed to hold up weight, but sometimes we need help carrying the weights of life. Do you know what a burden is? A burden is a heavy weight that we carry. It can be heartache, stress, grief, sickness, or anxiety.
In Galatians 6:2, we are encouraged to “carry each other’s burdens.” It is important to help those who are hurting and are discouraged. By being loving and kind, we can bring joy to their hearts and lighten their heavy load. Some burdens, however, can only be shared and carried by God. In Matthew 11:28-29, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…” Jesus wants to teach us how to live this life with a lighter load.
