Fruit

When we moved in here over thirty years ago, there was a damson tree in the garden which dripped with a profusion of fruit in the autumn. We paid the Cub Scout son of a friend, working on a ‘bob a job’ badge, to climb the tree and bring in the crop. I then discovered how labour-intensive it is to deal with damsons and in future years, as the tree’s fecundity lessened, I was relieved.

Well, the birds graciously planted a new damson for me and this year, we returned to find a carpet of the richly-coloured plums spread on the ground. I’ve now gathered them in, and am about to figure out how to deal with them. Damson gin isn’t the answer as we don’t particularly drink it and am not sure if anybody else does.

I always seem to be going on about harvesting fruit, but that is because this is such an unusual year. We’ve not really had many, if any, damsons since that early year, nor have we had the cherries or plums like we do this year. Conditions have been perfect for the crops here at the ‘hillock, though others we know have not enjoyed such bounty.

The Bible talks of Christians as people who bear the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, and so on. We are to nourish others with the goodness that comes from Jesus through us. But as they say, life happens, and sometimes the storms disturb the blossom before it can set the fruit. Or drought shrivels what is there. Not every year is a good year. When we are going through drought or storm, we may not have it in us to bear much fruit. We’re not always aware of the droughts or storms others are going through, so can find it hard when we are let down, left un-nourished by others.

My dear friend often says, ‘Put your expectations in nobody but God. Everyone else will let you down sometimes.’ It’s unintentional, often, but it may be that someone else just has no fruit to share.

If you’re in a place of plenty, may you find many ways to can, bottle, bake and infuse your fruit so others can enjoy it. And if you’re in a drought, may you draw nourishment from Jesus himself, so that his fragrance and love can once again bless others.

As Psalm 1 says, blessed are those who delight in the Lord and meditate on his word, because ‘they are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.’

So as I tackle my crop in the kitchen, I will put on praise music and delight in the Lord, meditating on him and his wonderful love for us. And hope the fruit is not just in the jars and puddings and pies, but also in me.

High Pressure

Strikes me as odd that a high pressure yields clear blue skies and sunshine, whereas a low pressure ushers in the storms and rain.

Odd when compared to what high pressure does to us humans. Most of us struggle when under stress, which is another word for high pressure. It feels more like storms and turbulence than settled sunshine. 

When the pressure is off, we relax as if under clear blue skies. The storms recede.

I’m out there walking, sunshine or storms, because the dog craves the stimulation and the exercise, (although she seems to go to ground when the temps rise, but who wouldn’t, wearing a heavy black fur coat as she is?) High pressure or low, I’m out there walking through it.

With Jesus as my constant companion, I can walk sedately through whatever the world wants to throw at me in terms of pressure. That’s my aim. To keep Jesus as my constant companion, to allow him to transform me into the person he created me to be, to keep focused and alert while anchored to a bedrock of perfect peace. 

A person whose mind is focused on God will be kept by God in perfect peace. It’s a promise given in the Bible. So what is perfect peace?

It’s a peace that is not tethered to circumstances. It’s a deep sense of calm despite upset, disappointment, or unwelcome news. It’s even – dare I say it? – a joy in the assurance that it’ll all come right in the end.

That’s faith. That’s trust. And it’s only possible if the God in whom I put my trust is faithful, and trustworthy, and keeps his promises.

He does. I know that because he tells me so. I also know that because I have experienced it.

So whatever today holds, sunshine or showers or indeed both, I am determined to remain focused on Jesus, so that I can rest in his perfect peace.

Storm Damage

Wild winds and heavy rains swept through UK yesterday and knocked out our power just as we prepared breakfast for a paying guest. We had to finish it on a camping stove, which made it a little different from his usual!

Driving down to help paint our son’s flat, we encountered debris and branches and even trees down at various points along the way. When we returned hours later, a broom bush had broken off into the drive, and various other bushes straggled into the pathway. Cut and tidied away now, the drive looks better than it did before (slightly...)

Emotional storms hit all of us at different times and bring damage, too. Sometimes cherished opinions are uprooted; sometimes new ideas are revealed to have no lasting value. 

Spiritual storms can rock our foundations, but they also serve to reveal who we are clinging too, and who is holding us. It’s good to clear out the debris every so often. It’s good to have erroneous beliefs exposed and uprooted. It’s healthy to rake out the undergrowth that has collapsed after the storm and allow refreshing air to circulate in our souls.

Storms can be dramatic and scary, inconvenient and disruptive and destructive. But they can also renew and refresh and encourage healthy and strong growth. 

And the calm after the storm exudes peace.