Lesson from a Tomato Plant
On this particular night, I delivered a meal to a family in need. As I sat and talked with this dad, I kept glancing at his two elementary aged kids. They stood on a chair over the kitchen sink. The girl was peeling a cucumber. Afterward, she sliced it and shared it with her younger brother. They ate it along with a couple cherry tomatoes, savoring each bite as if it was candy.
When the mom(a friend of mine) got home, I complimented her for her vegetable eating kids.
She said, “We grow our own tomatoes. My kids love picking the ripe ones every morning.”
What? It’s a month past frost, I thought. My tomatoes are ruined. Frozen first, now mush.
“Are you serious? How?”
She walked me out into her garage and turned on the light. I was stunned. These tomatoes hung upside down and ripened on the vine. Without roots. Without soil. Without water. Without sunlight. For over a month, they hung in the dark and grew anyway. How?
Now if this is normal gardening practice for you, please bear with me. I’d never heard of such a thing. And I love my garden.
Overwhelmed by the beauty, I saw God’s Word come to life.
I remembered John 15.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful,” John 15: 2,3.
“Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself, it must remain in the vine,” John 15:5
Sometimes in life, we feel like we are dying. We are living in a dark season with no hope. No growth. No bright days. We feel forgotten.
Not true.
In the darkness, Your Master Gardener watches over you. Your tears are collected. Your cries heard. Your life carefully monitored day after day. God Almighty feeds you from His vine.
Yes, even in that dark place, fruit ripen.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control fill your life. (Gal. 5:22-23)
The Gardener then uses your fruit to nourish many. Those who are hungry, come and eat and are satisfied.
With a thankful heart, you realize you weren’t forgotten after all. Your life really mattered. That dark season saved your life. Had you been left out in the cold, you would’ve never survived. Broken, you realize the Vine died for you. The Vine willing give up its life, so you could bear fruit. And for the first time ever, you believe the Gardener loved you beyond measure.
*******
Abiding in Him,
Tiffany at Tea with Tiffany
I needed to read that this morning, Tiffany. I have to remember that I am part of His plan, that He died for me because He loves me.
Thank you for sharing your heart with us.
Amen, well said sis. I love you.
Tiffany – That was a beautiful analogy! Praise God that even when we are “in the dark” He is there, watching over us and caring for us. He ripens us so we can produce fruit for Him. Thank you!
“The Gardener then uses your fruit to nourish many.”
I like this, what a great thought and very encouraging that God can use us.
Bethany