I was fighting bugs, poison ivy, humidity and honestly an attitude that was as sour as the ruby orbs I was picking. I'd had a good time with the Lord earlier and didn't want this task to ruin what was the good start to the day. So I asked Him to commune with me and let me know He was there...which He answered in the form of lessons. As I continued to search for edible fruits, it dawned on me (thank you Holy Spirit!) that cherry picking is a lot like studying God's word. Often, there will be low hanging fruits that are consumable, but it's usually the fruits hiding under the leaves and branches that offer blemish free fruit. So it is with my studying. I can simply read a small portion of scripture or a nice little devotional and will get something that makes me feel good or may be a little bit convicting and call it a day. However, when I begin to study the words, compare Scripture with Scripture and really unpack a passage, I get the really good stuff. The life changing lessons.
As I was picking cherries, again the Holy Spirit reminded me that He really is Jehovah-jireh - "the Lord will provide". These cherry trees weren't planted by me. One or two were planted by the former owners and then propagated by the many birds that make my land their home. I did nothing to bring these cherries to my home. Yet, I and some family/friends reap the benefit. Another find...
Gooseberries! Never have seen them before on my land. Jehovah-jireh. I have never eaten them before but you can bet I will try them this year!
And the best lesson about Jehovah-jireh? His provision of my family, and in particular my parents. As I was harvesting the fruit and giggling about my gooseberry find, I couldn't help but think of how very fortunate I am to have learned what I have from my folks. There were years of gardening when we were growing up: planting, harvesting, canning/processing. We were all a part of the process (can I say that I HATED picking strawberries (I swear that bed was 1/2 an acre!!) and corn...oh, and those nasty ginormous spiders in the tomatoes?!!) and it wasn't fun a majority of the time. The only exception was blackberry picking with my Dad...it was usually filled with stories from his past and I love those times! Mom would work tirelessly to can or freeze everything...and we'd have an abundance of fruits and vegetables to last throughout all of fall, winter and into spring! As they say, more was caught then actually taught. We learned by watching and helping them. I now know how to process that produce because I watched Mom and was a part of it all. Those lessons are invaluable as I am now loving pulling out what little I can, freeze, and dehydrate in the winter and enjoying it with others. I am so thankful to be a Ewing and to have been given my parents to teach me over the years!
What started out as a bad attitude became a time of gratitude...as only Jehovah-jireh can do!
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