Champions among us
I didn’t know such things as National Champion Trees existed before I got an outdoor adventure book for Christmas. Byron, Georgia, south of Macon on 75th, has the National Blackjack Champion Oak Tree, which means it is the largest tree of its kind in the entire country. So I wanted to put my eyes on this tree.
It’s a bummer when an outdoor adventure book prints out the wrong addresses. But that’s what happened. So the kids and I chased a wild goose trying to find this tree. It is located in the Byron United Methodist Church Cemetery. When we arrived, I was looking for something the size and impact of, you know, the Eiffel Tower. Instead, we finally asked someone and they pointed us to the correct tree. Standing next to him, it was awesome. More or less. It is a tall tree with a thick trunk. “This is all?” Carolina asked. “You mean we drove all this way to see THIS?” repeated José. “Hmmm,” I murmured in response, studying the tree with narrower eyes, hoping it would convey some wisdom to me. I waited for something deep to hit me.
Nothing. Frankly, my first thought was that the old oak tree on the outskirts of Evergreen Baptist Church on the outskirts of Metter is a much more impressive “presence”. But the fact is, this tree is a champion. Using a four-criteria scoring system, it outperforms every other tree of its kind in the nation. It doesn’t matter how it compares to the surrounding trees or the Eiffel Tower.
On the threshold of a new year, it is appropriate to consider the concept of what makes someone a champion. Like champion trees, champion people can go unnoticed and without praise. People who perform incredibly selfless and self-sacrificing acts that will never make any national or local records (many, at least, not on this side of heaven). Like the Blackjack Oak we visited, unless someone pointed it out and said “it’s at least 20 feet taller than any other of its kind” we wouldn’t notice. They do not draw attention to themselves. They are simply busy being the best they can be, rising above the rest, silently.
Lessons from this Blackjack Oak champion: Stop making unnecessary comparisons. Notice that you will hear occasional voices around you saying things like, “Is this it?” – these voices do not make you less who you are. Use the resources that God gives you and grow where you “planted”. Champions don’t emerge overnight; they are forming a lifetime.
Back home, I did some research and found that Metter has a national champion tree. National champion holly Yaupon grows in Guido’s gardens! Guido Gardens also grows the Common Georgia Champion Apple. Georgia American Champion Sycamore grows up here in Metter, owned by Robert Bell Jr. Georgia Champion Bradford Pear is in Aline, owned by Jack Martin. Wow, all these unnoticed and forgotten champions among us. Who knows?