White Dogwood-Cornus florida

Something to Ponder:

The dogwood tree is known for its flowering beauty in the spring. Its flowers on the edge of a forest or as part of a landscaped yard can be a breathtaking addition to any green space.

But look deeper – notice the bark. It has been used for generations to treat pain and fevers. Or the fruit which is a valuable food supply for birds in the autumn and winter. Notice the strength of the tree. Its wood has been praised for its toughness by wood workers across the country.

It is easy to look at this tree and consider it of value because of its outward beauty but there is so much more to the story. Like the dogwood, our “spring beauty” eventually fades. We become less attractive to the world, less marketable, even of less value. Thankfully we have a God that looks beyond our outward appearance and sees our inner value. He sees us through a different set of lenses and calls us “fearfully and wonderfully made”.

We can take great joy that despite how the world may describe us, handsome or plain, worthy or worthless, that our Father in heaven sees much deeper and simply calls His beautiful child.

Learn More:

White Dogwood-Cornus florida, sometimes called Flowering Dogwood, blooms early and is a delightful harbinger of spring. It is a good selection for planting beneath overhead wires and adds beauty and interest to any landscape through all seasons. Its common name may come from the word “dagger” because its wood is very hard and doesn’t splinter, an attribute once making it useful as a skewer. It was a tree much appreciated by Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington planted several on his 53rd birthday, making a circle of dogwoods around a redbud tree. The tree is a small tree maturing at less than 25 feet and its fruit is an important winter food source favored by more than 43 species of birds as well as by squirrels and some other mammals.