Suddenly the ‘crops’ in the veggie patch are ready to eat,
and like a two-year-old seeking attention, they want attention NOW or they will
bolt.
The lettuce and spinach will bolt, that is. The peas will
swell until there is no room in the pod and then they will wither. The fruit will
be pecked by birds or shrivel. The green beans will grow longer and longer
until they are as tough as the sole of a shoe.
Moving from the veggie patch to the bus stop, it’s like the
saying that you wait an hour for a bus and finally three come along at the same
time.
Why don’t they space themselves out? (as they’re supposed to
do) Why don’t the veggies ripen at varying times?
Makes me wonder about other aspects of living. Are we
allowed only a few precious moments to flower and bloom, and then wither and
droop and become useless to others?
I don’t think so. I’m thinking about the fruits of the
Spirit. They grow in each of our lives, some slowly and imperceptibly (like
patience!) and others in spurts and very noticeably. I believe that as we allow
these fruits to ripen and then nourish those around us, new fruits ‘set’ and
perhaps have a sweeter or more mellow taste.
I believe that the climate in the Promised Land allows for
three crops / harvests a year. Continuous growing at varying speeds of
development. Unlike Scotland’s short sharp growing season, our lives are like
the seasons in the Promised Land. If we give ourselves to God, we will bear
successive crops of fruit to nourish those souls whose spirits hunger and
thirst for they know not what.
To bear such crops, though, we must remain rooted in Jesus.
Refreshed in him. Fed and watered by him. Trusting wholeheartedly in him.
Jesus is the real source of nourishment and fruitfulness.
Abide in me, he said. Not a suggestion. A command.
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