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all things for good, bearing fruit, burdens, calling, Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, devotions, encouragement, encouragment, exhaustion, faith, focus, fruit, much fruit, perspective, tasks, weary in well doing, work in the fields, worth it
My family has recently found a wild blackberry patch growing in the field behind our home. So, my youngest and I go out about every third day and pick all the blackberries that we can find. Let me tell you, we need jeans and bug spray and heavy shoes, but it is awesome to be able to pick blackberries that we never planted, haven’t been sprayed with pesticides and would cost quite a bit of money at Whole Foods, or Trader Joe’s. It’s some kind of amazing to pick bounty for your belly straight from God Himself.
As we were picking berries this morning, I happened to drop one. I bent to pick it up and ended up on my knees. I looked up and lo and behold there were more beautiful, ripe blackberries in spots I never dreamed. I was amazed that I hadn’t seen them before. If I had still been standing, I would have never realized that they were there! I recognized in that moment that I just needed the right perspective to see all the fruit. I needed to be on my knees, looking up.
Over the years, verses like Matthew 12:33 and John 15:5 and 8 have frustrated me. They say things like, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit.” “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” “…for the tree is known by its fruits.” Frustrating stuff because I know I’m a disciple of Christ. I think I’m abiding. I think I want God to receive glory, but where’s the fruit?
As I was kneeling on the ground this morning, I realized the fruit is there. When I am abiding in Christ, when His Spirit has invaded every part of me at my request and when I am seeking His face with every fiber of my being, the fruit is there. I just need the right perspective and the right perspective is not getting distracted with the overgrowth, the thorns, or what fruit is in someone else’s bowl. The right perspective is acquired when I am on my knees, looking up at my Savior. Then, I am able to see the fruit that He has allowed in my life.
Second Thessalonians 3:13 says, “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.” When we don’t readily see the fruit in a situation, we can grow weary. Our tasks become harder when we don’t see results. But, by having the right perspective, we are in a position to better see His fruit in our life. When we are on our knees looking to Him, the thorns aren’t so tangled and the nettles aren’t invading our senses quite so much. We can actually see the fruit and be encouraged.
So, let’s get on our knees each day. Let’s look up and ask God to show us the fruit that He has allowed to grow in our lives. Has that teenager in your life decided that they won’t immediately leave when you enter the room? Will the neighbors let you prayer for them now? Has your spouse decided to give your marriage one more try? Has your youngest quit complaining about going to church? There is fruit. We just need to kneel down to see it.
We also need to remember that when we get to our heavenly home, we will have the best perspective of all. As we are on our knees before our Father, I have no doubt that He will pull away the branches, the thorns and the weeds that were as big as we were in this life, lift our precious faces and say, “Look at all this fruit, sweet one. Look what you allowed Me to grow in your life.” And as we look up with His gentle prodding, I believe our jaws will drop. I believe that our faces will light up and we will be amazed at all the fruit that grew in our lives without our even knowing about it. We will be assured that every task was worth it. Every opportunity did bear fruit. We just needed the right perspective. We needed His.
A Seeking Heart 