Lessons from the Apple Tree
The
yellow transparent apple tree sits in the middle of the yard on the Sturgeon
Farm in southern Indiana. This fall was the third year that I have had the
opportunity to pick apples from the tree and hear the knowledge that my husband
has acquired over the years caring for this tree. As I listened to his wisdom,
I began to see that this tree has many lessons about the Christian life that it
could teach me.
Each
spring my husband trims the branches so that light can reach the middle of the
tree, the center of life for producing the fruit on the tree. A good lesson for all of us to learn is that
we need to take time to trim away the things in life that are preventing God to
reach our center and so that our light can shine out between the branches of
busyness in our lives. What branches do
you need to trim in order to get light to your center?
The
branches that shoot straight up on the apple tree do not bear fruit. Only the
branches that bend bare the fruit. Do you
help others carry the load of sorrow and pain that can cause your branches to
bend so they can produce fruits of the spirit or do you look straight ahead
focusing only on yourself and your needs?
As
my husband and I picked the apples, our mothers sat in chairs under the shade
of the tree. Observing our mothers sit
under the shade of the apple tree reminds me that God created the Sabbath, a
time to rest. So often we forget to take time to sit under the shade of the
tree and feel the cool breeze blowing on a warm summer day. We forget that God
meant for us to take time to rest and be still.
Our
mothers didn’t sit under the tree for long because although their older bodies
won’t allow them to work as hard, they know the value of work. They sorted through
the apples putting the very nice ones into one bucket and the ones deemed not
so nice in another bucket for applesauce. But sometimes the apple that looked
perfect on the outside was rotten at the core when we sliced into it. How often do we focus on the outside to make
it look perfect, but neglect our core and let it become rotten?
I
read a book this summer called Praying in
Color by Sybil McBeth. She encouraged me to draw out my prayers when I
couldn’t find words. This is a result of my thoughts and prayers about the
apple tree. As you can see, I am not an artist but found joy in my attempt to be one.
My husband and I live about an hour away from
the farm so our time to work on the apple tree is limited to weekends. Although we wanted the apples to ripen on our
limited time schedule, we were very disappointed when they didn’t cooperate. We
could pick the apples that weren’t as ripe and turn them into applesauce, but
the best apple pies require only the ripe fruit. How often do we want God to
work on our time schedule? Why do we find it so hard to wait for the fruit to
ripen?
Making
applesauce is hard work. It is better
done in community. If we work as a team,
the job is done quicker and the fellowship is priceless. Spiritual formation is also hard work. It is better to be surrounded by a community
of believers who can walk with us on our journey and the fellowship is
priceless. How hard are you working on your spiritual life? Who is accompanying
you on the journey?
Who
would have thought that an apple tree could teach us so many lessons about
living the Christian life? If
you grow a healthy tree, you'll pick healthy fruit. If you grow a diseased
tree, you'll pick worm-eaten fruit. The fruit tells you about the tree."—
Matthew 12:33 The Message What
does the fruit of your tree say about you?
