Friday, August 26, 2016

THE FRUIT OF THE SEASON

My mother had a theory about fruit. She believed that whatever was "the fruit of the season" - the fruit that was naturally growing in that season - contained exactly the nutrients you would need to thrive in that season.  She didn't need to prove her theory.  She just had it. 

God spoke to me so clearly about twenty years ago about seasons.  He showed me that when a new season arrives I have to wear the wardrobe that season requires.  If I wear the wardrobe in the summer that kept me alive in the winter...it will kill me.  And vice versa.  In order to flourish in whatever season I am in - I have to wear the proper wardrobe.  I will get bogged down by insisting on "wearing" what I wore in a former season and "being" who I was in a former season.

We must change when the season does or we will wither away.  

Sometime we don't like the new season.  We find it unacceptable to accept that we have NO CONTROL OVER THE SEASONS and WHEN AND HOW THEY CHANGE. 

The thing about changing seasons is that they bring the life that keeps the earth fruitful.  Any place on earth that does NOT have changing seasons is either a frozen wasteland or a desert. There is no fruit where there are no changing seasons.

This is true for the earth and for the people who live on it. 

I have realized that in a spiritual sense, there is some truth to my mother's theory about the "fruit" of that season being what you need to thrive in that season. 

In our lives, seasons bring the life that keep our lives fruitful. The Lord's purpose is for me to "bear fruit."  I am tempted to include the entire chapter of John 15, but you can read it for yourself.  

Fruit does not appear instantly.  It must be planted in us. It must be watered and endure all the seasons that come our way. The key word is that we endure. A strawberry plant doesn't even know it is a strawberry plant.  It just endures whatever comes its way. And then one day.. we have STRAWBERRIES!!

When we forget that we are beings who are being cultivated to bear fruit then we forget our primary purpose for being on this planet.  

We have no control over the changing seasons and it frustrates us.  Unless we remember that in this season.. in the season you are in at the moment.. God is creating the "fruit" of this season in you.  This season has purpose.  We don't see the fruit of the season today.  We just endure. We just trust Him.  We remember that He is faithful. We believe that He is love.  And then one day we comprehend that God was creating something sweet in us. Without realizing that it was happening inside us.. we see something new.. something delicious..

Where there used to be hatred... now there is love.
Where there used to be despondency.. now there is joy.
Where there used to be confusion... now there is peace.
Where there used to be impatience... now there is patience.
Where there used to be unkindness.. now there is kindness.
Where there used to be evil... now there is goodness.
Where there used to be doubt... now there is faith.

The fruit of the season that you may be enduring right now is God's purpose for the season you are enduring right now. He isn't being mean. He isn't being distant. He is making you fruitful. He is giving you deep resources to help you in the future.  Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't happening.  

The fruit of this season will be evident in the future. In the future you will be thankful that God took the time to prune you, to change you, to IMPROVE YOU.  When you face another season where hatred would have been your natural "fruit"... suddenly you find love where hate used to be.

When you face another season of life being shaken and your natural reaction would have been confusion and fear... suddenly you find peace instead. 

The fruit of the season you are enduring will be good and holy and eternal. Just trust the Gardener.

But the fruit of the season you endure and endured is not just to make you a NICER person. No, it is for others. 

The world is fearful...A peaceful person in times of turmoil has the fruit the world is seeking.
A person filled with love has the fruit the world needs in a time where hate is taking center stage.

THE FRUIT OF THIS SEASON you are in is making you more like Jesus.  That is God's ultimate purpose in your life and mine. Some of us accept this.. and some of us do not. 
Some of us have peace. and some of us do not.

Jesus said:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful..... Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned."
John 15

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Your mother had intuition, I've had times like that too, they are treasures from God, just a deep knowing. I loved reading this, so encouraging..thank you....