Seasonal Fruit

Seasonal Fruit

My family amazes me. I kick and fight to get them to eat fruits and vegetables while they're in season and they whine the whole time. But as soon as a fruit or vegetable is out of season and hard to find, or very expensive they suddenly ask me to buy it. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "mom, when can we have artichokes again?" in December. Or, "can you get some watermelon?" in March. 

I have good days and bad days, and it would be easy to say that I'm allowed to act this way, it's just a bad day. But is that the truth? 1 Timothy 4:1-2 says: I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 

God says we're to always be in season, always ready for whatever He asks of us or whoever He brings across our paths. Hmm.... My little task-oriented, people-ignoring brain doesn't quite grasp this verse sometimes. Sometimes I want to say, "Sorry, I'm not in season yet, talk to me next week, or next month, or even next year." And yet, God says to always be ready, ready to do what he asks WITH COMPLETE PATIENCE!!!

I believe this ties right in with the type of fruit we are supposed to bear. The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. 

Patience is usually seen as this unreachable perfection we should all strive for. There are thousands of quotes and insights on patience, and I found a few that spoke to me of the depth of patience we don't often acknowledge. 

“I realized that the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able to honestly to pray what He taught His disciples to pray: Thy will be done.”

― Elisabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control

"The strength of patience hangs on our capacity to believe that God is up to something good for us in all our delays and detours." - John Piper

“A waiting person is a patient person. The word patience means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us.” ― Henri J.M. Nouwen

All of these rely on a trust in God, a trust that He knows what He is doing, and that He has the best in mind for us as we wait, or endure, or tolerate whatever situation has come our way. 

We cannot only bear fruit, God's fruit, seasonally. There is a world that needs to know that God loves them, He created them with a purpose and He CHOSE them! Our fruit must always be ripe, ready, and free.