Spiritual Sunday 2010 #6 - FRUIT TREE FAITH

I actually posted this on Thursday, April 29th, but wanted to re-post it here for Spiritual Sunday. Hope it blesses someone and strengthens your faith as you wait for your seeds of faith to bring forth fruit in HIS timing.

Go here to view other Spiritual Sunday posts each Sunday. It's a wonderful place for inspiration.

**************************************************************************This is a story about a seed. It is also a story about faith.

Mickey & I were privileged to travel our great United States and Canada after his retirement. I'm not exactly sure of the year, but I know it was in the early 2000's we purchased some fresh fruit - apricots & preaches. After eating them we decided it would be fun to plant one seed of each. We got two coffee cans and planted the two seeds. We carried these coffee cans with us until we returned to our home in Coweta and placed them on the side of the house. Truthfully, we pretty much forgot about them.

About 5 years ago we noticed that one of the seeds had grown into a small plant and Mickey decided to plant it in the center of our backyard. Had I known , ( I wasn't blogging back then!!!) what I know now I would have taken a picture of this wee little tree that was about 10-12 inches tall. Over the next few years it began to grow, with the branches very low to the ground. Two years ago, when it was about 4 feet tall Mickey spoke to one of the professionals at a garden center about it and how to prune it. The lower branches were then pruned. Last year for the very first time the tree actually had blossoms in the spring!!

We got very excited and thought, "Maybe we are going to have fruit!" The blossoms turned into leaves and we enjoyed this pretty little tree in the middle of our back yard but no fruit.

This spring we once again had blossoms and we have been watching it each and every week.

The picture is dark, and not the best, but if you enlarge it you can see it is loaded with little fruits!!!!

Here is a close up of one of the fruits taking shape. Now, all this time, we had no idea whether it was a peach tree or an apricot tree. We really didn't care we were just excited that one of the seeds had made it!!!!! Now that the fruit is taking shape I "think" it is an apricot. I'll let you know when we are sure!!!

These two seeds planted so many years ago have an important lesson to teach.

FIRST, only one of them "made" it. Why? Only God knows. They were planted in the same size containers, in the same dirt and made the identical journal back to our home in Coweta. They both set in their cans by the side of the same house, with the same sun, moon, rain, snow, ice, etc. effecting them. For some reason the one did not grow. Was it the seed itself, since they were from different trees? Or was it that one just didn't want to put forth the effort?

SECOND, Mickey took the time and effort to plant both these seeds, and then to replant the one that showed it was alive and growing. He has nursed this little green shoot along these 5 years as God has brought it forth first into a full grown tree, then into bearing blossoms and now this year to it's original intended use....bearing fruit.

This seed, tree, fruit, also speaks to me on a personal spiritual level. I have seeds that I have planted, some of which have died. Why? Only God knows. But, I also have seeds that I am watering, pruning, tending and most importantly, watching and waiting patiently for God to bring forth those seeds into the full grown tree, blossoms and then His original intended purpose.....bearing fruit.

Two lessons here also: We must tend to the seeds we have planted and we must rely on God for the results which He has known from the beginning.

Seed time and harvest.......it's true in the natural and it's true in the spiritual.

I still have some seeds that are at various stages of death, new growth, growing, blossoming and bearing fruit. I'm not giving up on mine....even the ones that "appear" dead because my God can restore all things.

How about you?

Plant those seeds believing for a harvest and then be faithful in your words, your prayers, your time, your efforts to supply your end of the "works" so that God can bring forth the end He has known from the beginning.

I LOVE GOD: Father, Son & Holy Ghost!!!!

Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.