Galatians 5:22 "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Last week my sister and I went shopping at a small community that boasted a lot of greenhouses. Her and I both love plants and gardening. We were sitting in her mini-van in the parking lot of one of the greenhouses eating our lunch when I noticed in front of us were a row of fruit trees. There were all sorts of varieties, peaches, plums, apples, cherries and I don't know what else. I noticed the price tag flapping in the wind. I nudged my sister. "Those fruit trees are only $25." We both looked at each other with excitement in our eyes. Neither one of us were looking to buy a fruit tree, but who can resist such a bargain? We jumped out of her van and began to peruse the trees. When we got to the cherries, I reminded her that our mom had a cherry tree in her backyard when we were growing up. It was heavenly to be able to walk outside and pick a handful. Cherries tend to get bad fast once they're picked. That fond memory was enough to cause both of us to purchase a Montmorency cherry tree. . I want my cherry tree to produce ample fruit, enough to feed the birds and myself. That is part of the joy of having a fruit tree, the miracle of stepping outside the comfort of your home and picking fresh, amazing fruit. The Lord wants the same from me. He has planted me in the fertile soil of His Word and has definitely been pruning me! I have had a lot of trials and tribulations the past couple years. I need to be producing the fruits of the spirit for Him. Planting the cherry tree caused me to look inwardly and take a good look at what kind of fruit I'm producing. Am I showing love to my neighbor? Am I patient when I'm stuck in traffic? Do I have an underlying joy even when my circumstances indicate otherwise? Thanks to my tree that I have decided to plant in the backyard, I have a reminder every morning when I gaze at it out my kitchen window that I need to stay connected to Jesus to produce the fruits of the spirit. As a bonus, it's a very tasty reminder :)
1 Comment
Wow. This is wonderful food for thought. I'm like you and want to continently produce and show the fruits of the spirit, especially when stuck on traffic. LOL
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Blessings,
I enjoy writing and I hope to encourage everyone to always see the blessings in life. Archives
December 2020
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