🌵 The Mystery 🌵 

An iconic giant of the Sonoran Desert stood before me.  Like an uncompromising sentinel with arms raised, it formidably denied my passage.  Bristling with sharp spines, it discreetly warned that any attempt to sneak by would be rewarded with severe pain.  Guarded by jagged lava rocks on one side and a cliff on the other, the large saguaro cactus effectively blocked my path.  Prudence demanded that I turn around.  This was not the direction to take.  I would have to find an alternate route.  Unfortunately, this wasn’t my first course reversal this day.  Nor would it be my last.  My zigzagging trail and circuitous pattern was vividly displayed on my gps.  It was nearing comic proportions.  It was almost as if I had no idea where I was or where I was going.  Lost in the desert, traipsing along amidst the sand, rocks, and thorns, it seemed that I was going nowhere fast.  I was not dismayed, though.  On the contrary, I was full of anticipation because there really was a purpose for my desolate wanderings.  A platoon of saguaro cacti encounters had consistently reminded me of my mission.  Like drill sergeants, they had prodded me on towards my goal.

It had been a journey that I had started with vague maps and clues.  There were no coordinates given.  No precise locations.  Guestimates, approximations, and generalities ruled the day.  No doubt, I was winging it.

Traveling via four wheel drive, dirt bike, and then by foot, I was slowly closing the distance to my best-guess destination.  There was no guarantee that my query was there.  I would find out soon.  Success or utter failure awaited me just over the next ridge.

I exhaled hard as I gained the last few vertical feet and topped the ridge.  A reluctant smile wiggled across my lips, hovered, and then parted them wide.  In the distance, triumph greeted me with a mirage-induced wave.  I had reached my goal.  I had found my query.  Another mystery of the Sonoran Desert had been located.  I had found a rare “crested” saguaro cactus.

There are millions of saguaro cacti that dot the sand-filled landscape defined as the Sonoran Desert.  Yet, there are only about three thousand “crested” saguaro cacti within that same area.  That’s not very many considering that the Sonoran Desert encompasses over 100,000 square miles.  I believe one estimate to be fairly close is one “crested” per ten thousand saguaro cacti, but no one knows the exact number.  There has never been an official census taken.  Crested saguaros are found throughout the entirety of the Sonoran Desert, but they are elusive.  Some produce much more elaborate crests than others and very little is known about the actual causal factor.  It has been theorized, fasciation (i.e. cresting) occurs because the growing tip of the cactus experiences freezing, lightning, bacteria, or genetic mutations.  Hormonal imbalance has also been offered up as a culprit.  Despite the mysterious reason, a normal saguaro morphs and develops a fan-type crest or crown.  Botanists call it a cristate.  Experts, admittedly, do not understand the process nor the true factors that contribute to such a monumental change.  Hence the reason, the infrequently occurring “crested” saguaro cactus is considered a mystery of the Sonoran Desert.  It is considered by many to be a rare and highly sought-after mystery to be found and experienced first hand.  The morphed and truly amazing saguaro crest is atop an already unique icon in a small region of the world.  That fact, alone, makes the mysterious crested saguaro very special.

Mission completed and picture taken, I gave some thought to straightening my route back to civilization, but found myself thinking more about the mystery of the “crested” saguaro cactus.  

Isn’t it interesting that the mystery involves a causal factor that morphs a normal saguaro cactus into a “crested” or “crowned” cactus?  Isn’t it interesting that the mystery involves a complete change to the way the cactus grows and matures?  Isn’t it interesting how the mystery involves a change on the inside that completely alters the look of the cactus on the outside?

I find that extremely fascinating.  It is amazing how God has orchestrated all of creation and left little clues behind that direct us back to His Word.  My thought - the mystery of the saguaro cactus parallels and points to the capstone of all Scripture.  

In the Bible, specifically the Book of Colossians, the apostle Paul wrote,

“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,”

Colossians 2:2 NIV

The Bible clearly states that the mystery of God is Jesus Christ.  And it is the mystery of God, that is Christ, that changes us.  It is the mystery of Christ in us that brings something new.  Sound familiar?  Accepting Christ into our hearts morphs us from the inside out.  The mystery of God makes us grow differently.  The mystery of God makes us act differently.  The mystery of God makes us look differently at others while we become different to others.  Something has happened to us, yet the world doesn’t understand the mystery.  It is through the mystery of God, namely Christ, that we become a new creation.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

It is my hope and prayer that we all seek and find The Mystery!