A good life is a fruit bearing tree… Proverbs 11:30 (MSG)
It’s May! And that means there is a cherry tree in my front yard with bright red cherries! Oh, they are tart! But my boys, especially my youngest, cannot stay away from the tree! He loves cherries and doesn’t seem to notice the sour taste!
This tree has been in my husband’s family for a while. His grandparents lived in the house we live in and his grandma used to make many a cherry pie from the very same tree.
Because the birds also enjoy eating the cherries right off the tree, someone gave me a helpful tip Grandma Long used to do to protect the fruit. She would place aluminum pie pans in the cherry tree to ward off the birds. The noisy pans in the breeze combined with the reflection from the sun keep the birds away from the beloved tree until the cherries are all picked.
Of course the birds still manage to steal a few cherries, but at least it helps protect the majority of the crop.
As I placed the pans on the tree this week, I thought about my own fruit in my life that I hope to be harvested one day. At this season of my life, raising godly children is at the top of my list.
One of the verses I have been drawn to recently is Galatians 6:9: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
It doesn’t take a Mama Einstein to know that raising great Christian kids is tough work in the culture we live in. Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing enough.
Those cherry feasting birds remind me of the parable that Jesus taught in Luke 4 about sowing seed. “…some fell along the path and the birds ate it up…” Jesus explained that this portion of the parable, “Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.”
In one ear and out the other…
The evil one attempts to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) our teaching and our good efforts. As moms we have our work cut out for us.
Just like shielding my cherry tree with aluminum pie pans, the power of prayer is essential in protecting my fruit – my children.
The same is true for you, my friend. What “fruit” in your life do you need to protect with prayer?
What work has God given you to do that will eventually reap a harvest if you do not give up?
Is the enemy stripping you of your future crop with self-doubt, exhaustion, helplessness?
Those feelings creep in from time to time and Satan loves it when we allow him to “pick” at our tree and steal some of our joy.
Take a little time to read Ephesians 6:10-20 – The Armor of God passage, taking note to stand firm, and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests and to be alert!
Let the Son shine brightly on your armor by staying in His presence. Entrust your crop to the One who is able to grow it and protect it.
And never, ever give up on the work God has placed on your heart to complete!
The fruit will be sweet at the harvest!
For His Glory,
Christy
© Christy Long 2011. All rights reserved.
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