If you were going to write a poem about the wonders of our glorious springtime, here are some rhyming words you might find useful: sclerenchyma and parenchyma.
Just kidding. Who writes poetry anymore? But if you’ve ever wondered at the amazing power of a little plant to push its way through concrete, that’s what you’ve been watching: the tag-team power of sclerenchyma and parenchyma.
Sclerenchyma cells are the hard woody support structure in bark and mature stems. Parenchyma is the living tissue that adapts as it grows, providing photosynthesis and storage for the growing plant.
Little seeds find a hairline crack in asphalt or concrete and slowly begin to battle their way up into the realm of light and air. To our amazement, we watch them pop into our world, to grow just where they’re planted.
And the wonderful colors of springtime—the unapologetic yellow of the jonquils, the delicate blues and pinks of the hyacinth, the variegated tulips, and the snow-white of the Easter trumpet lily!
As a kid, I couldn’t understand how such beauty grew out of the dirt. I’d carved up one of my father’s bulbs with my pen-knife, but there was no color there. I was amazed then, and I’m amazed now, at the beauty unfolding from within.
The fact that I now know that each plant’s genes direct its cells to produce specific pigments, and that these absorb and reflect certain wavelengths of light to produce such brilliance and beauty, doesn’t affect my wonder one bit. I’m still overjoyed at another display of God’s thrilling artistry.
I have in my files a photo of the grave of Gerta Maria Schmidt. Her body was buried in the Stadtfriedhof Engesohde cemetery in Hannover, Germany. The garden graveyard was consecrated in 1741, and she was buried there soon after.
Gerta Schmidt was a militant atheist. Having denied the resurrection of Jesus, she determined to defy God’s Word by resurrection-proofing her grave.
She requested her body be placed 15 feet deep. Her casket was to be completely encased in a stone vault and tightly sealed. Around it were to be slabs of granite, locked into place by steel bands.
On her gravestone, these words were inscribed: “Dieses grab muss nie geöffnet werden,” meaning, “This grave must never be opened.”
Her instructions were carried out as she stated. However, as they were placing Gerta’s wooden casket into the vault, an acorn from a nearby oak tree dropped inside.
As Gerta’s body began to decompose, it provided enough moisture for the acorn to sprout and grow. The growing plant was able to make its way through a small crack in the lid in its journey to the surface. As the tree grew, it slowly pushed away the stones and snapped the steel bonds.
You can see Gerta’s grave today. Right in the middle of it stands an enormous oak tree. What a graphic illustration of Galatians 6:7, “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap.” (CSB)
If only Ms Schmidt had found a place in her heart for faith the size of a mustard seed, it would have been nurtured by the water of God’s Word, germinated by His Spirit, and broken through into everlasting life! Because, even in the hardest hearts, life can find a way.
Article by Jabe Nicholson first published in the Commercial Dispatch, Saturday, April 5th, 2025.