“…If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5.
Last week I went to the farmers market to get some fresh produce to take on our family vacation. There is one stand that has the most amazing tomatoes. They are the best in the market because they have the same sweetness and juiciness that my parents’ garden had when I was very young. I also picked up a few avocados to use as a topper in tortilla soup. As I prepared that meal, the moment the blade slid through the tomato, its juices flowed on the cutting board. As I turned my attention to the avocado I could barely get the same knife through the inside. The skin was like that of an alligator and the inside was hard as a rock. To say it wasn’t quite ripe is certainly an understatement. I was so disappointed in my plans for that soup. I tried to rush a fruit that wasn’t yet ready to experience.
In life, there are different seasons. Seasons where we are free to pick the fruit because the ripeness is perfect. There are seasons where the fruit still hangs on the tree tempting us to pluck it, wash it, and prepare it. When our flesh is weak we grab that fruit prematurely taking matters into our own hands. We massage that situation, and gnaw on it until we cannot any longer. The fruit did not satisfy…it did not nourish…it was hard and tasteless. When God has orchestrated the details of our lives and they align with His timing the fruit will be ripe. He will show us when it time to pick the fruit and enjoy its benefits. We cannot rush our circumstances any more than we can rush the ripening process of fruit. ‘In all of this, remember, bearing fruit takes time. Fruit doesn’t just pop up overnight. Fruit comes in seasons. Just because we don’t see tangible fruit in an area of our lives right now doesn’t mean that God isn’t working. Our job is to abide. Remain. Let’s keep doing that and watch to see how God might work in our lives.” Finding I Am, Lysa TerKeurst, p. 146.
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