Cheri Fields
[Originally published as Koalas were Designed—did not just happen over Eons]
Richard Gunther
Koalas look like cute, cuddly little teddy bears, but they are not bears. They are marsupials, which means they have a pouch, and they are mammals.
Koalas live in Australia, and they spend almost their whole life up in the trees which they eat. The trees they prefer are called ‘gum,’ or eucalyptus.
Eucalyptus trees have poisons in the young tips and the older leaves so koalas have to be careful which leaves they eat. They have special processes in their stomachs to digest the leaves.
When baby koalas switch from milk to leaves, they start by eating the mother’s droppings before moving on to the tough, smelly leaves.
Koalas show many signs of design. Just the fact that their stomachs can digest what would be poisonous leaves to most other creatures, is evidence of design.
Design points to a Designer.
Paul Humber
One place I remember seeing eucalyptus trees was near the Sea of Galilee. Beautiful. Maybe some eucalypti were there 2,000 years ago when Jesus walked in the same area, but maybe they were planted there centuries later.
I sort of doubt the wood used for Jesus’ cross was eucalyptus, but I do remember standing on the north wall of Jerusalem and looking out onto Gordon’s Calvary and imagining what happened 2,000 years prior. I don’t know if that was the place, but one of the greatest things ever to happen took place 2 millennia ago when my Savior died for me on that ugly “tree.”
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for going to that cross for me and many others, and thank you, Father, for raising your Son from death three days later.
It is sad that people still reject you, the Creator of koalas and eucalypti today—as back then. But I praise you that many people from around the world also love you and are endeavoring to be faithful to you.
Help all who are. We need your strength. May it even please you to use this verse,
Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
[Editor’s note: You can learn lots more about Koalas, the microbiome of their gut, and the poison of their leafy diet here: UC Davis: Koala Poo, Chlamydia and the Microbiome: Biophysics Graduate Student Katherine Dahlhausen]
