Father may the thoughts that have been percolating in my mind come together to express the truth of You in our lives. Amen.
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We are full swing into spring – even though there are far more cool days than warm days this year – I cannot help but notice the many beautiful flowering trees. There are a few I recognize – apple, crab apple, and the invasive (at least in Ohio) Bradford Pear tree, amongst many others.
Coming out of winter, at this point, the change in these trees is so obvious. Not that long ago every one of them was barren – there was nothing but stark emptiness, branches that carried nothing but bark. Then came the eruption of leaves and then the budding of beautiful flowers wafting with scent, carrying within them the promise of fruit. Some trees are still in full flower but already many are shedding their pedals, as they will soon be no more.
Stages, progress, and growth – they are all a part of the life cycle of a fruit tree. Soon the foliage with reach its peak and as the seasons progress fruit will appear and develop. That will be followed soon after by the fruit falling to the ground or being harvested by man or the birds and beasts of the wild. Then the leaves will not be far behind, at which time another season will come to a close.
Our lives are different in that the cycles of our lives do not rotate, as such. Rather it is one long cycle from beginning to end. I guess what the whole process made me think about was that as we journey through life, we must embrace each stage but in most cases, we will not see them again, at least not in the same way.
We begin innocent to the harshness of our world but all in all, we are a great blessing to those around us. As time moves forward, we develop and grow budding into that which we were created by God – it is a joy to love our Creator and others around us. As we mature, we have the opportunity to produce fruit – and we choose the type of fruit put forth. It can be sweet and pleasing or bitter and distasteful.
We can also influence the fruit that others produce as they can regarding ours – for the good or for the bad. This is where our relationship with Jesus factors in. The blossoms, the fruit, it can all draw others to Him if that is our focus.
This whole line of thought is sort of hard to put into words, but we are created to be fruitful. And even as we age, the fruit and foliage of our lives can enrich the soil around us, enhancing the future fruitfulness of all that we come in contact with. So even in our passing from this life to eternity, who and what we were will carry on in the lives of those we touched.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 (Read the passage by clicking on it, but here are a few verses.)
There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven –
A time to be born and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. vs1-2
[God] has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God] – yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.
I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live; and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor – it is the gift of God. vs11-13 AMP
May 5th, 2022, Thurs, 12:53 pm
