using my fruit

The kids and I went strawberry pickin' for a second time on Tuesday. My girlfriend, Pam, and I decided we needed to make some strawberry jam. Pam's my jammin' friend. I have only canned jam with her. (I'm not sure I could do it without her..she brings the canner and the expertise) Anyways, we headed out to the strawberry fields early Tuesday morning to gather our berries. The pickin' was nothing like our first trip. Because of all of the rain we have had, a lot of the berries were over-ripe. We really had to search for good berries. They were there, but it was tough pickin'. Much of the fruit was rotting, soggy or moldy. I swear those moldy ones looked like little mice under the strawberry leaves. eeeewwww! While we were picking I commented, "Look what happens when you don't use your fruit." Nobody else seemed to sense the profoundness of my statement. But it really hit me right between the eyes. I've been thinking about it ever since. I believe we've all been given three T's...time, treasures and talent. I also firmly believe that we should use those things to encourage others and glorify the Lord. When we don't use the fruit that we've produced...it just goes to waste. It rots and gets all creepy on the vine. But when we use our time, talent or treasures to bless others, to invest in our children, to spread the good news; we actually produce more fruit. As the fruit gets picked...new fruit has room to grow. The strawberry patch shut down the next day. Too many unused berries went to waste. I don't want to waste my fruit...I want to share it with those in my life, even if I have to boil it and add some sugar. So, I encourage you to use your fruit...really those around you will be blessed!

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work...." Colossians 1: 10