My friends are learning more about me and how these thoughts come about. They seem to come from the mundane, every day things, but somehow God is teaching me that nothing is so mundane, but there are lessons to be learned.
Today’s thought is based on a picture of my tomatoes from my ‘farm’ I shared on social media. I’ve already shared with you a few stories of what these vines are teaching me. When I went away, I left my tomatoes unguarded and the squirrels came in and had free reign. As a result, I’ve had to start picking them long before they are ripe. The vine has also been growing what seems like out of control, but they are flowering and producing lots of tomatoes.
As I’ve picked the green tomatoes, I’ve thought a few times that I can make fried green tomatoes. As I’ve only heard it mentioned, and never actually tried it, I’ve let the thought pass. What I do know what to use is: ripe tomatoes. So, I’ve left them in the light for them to ripen on their own. Guess what this is teaching me? Patience. I’m a very impatient person, but watching my tomatoes grow and slowly ripening is teaching me that there is nothing I can do to move the process along. They are going to ripen when they’ve gone through their own process, and not a moment before.
My ‘coincidental’ devotion today was also from John 15, where it talks about the vine and the branches, and that unless you are connected to the vine, you cannot bear fruit. When I looked at my wild growing tomato vines, I see that the ones bearing fruit are the ones who are fully connected, and getting nutrients from the vines and roots.
Dear Heavenly Father, help us to stay connected to you so that we can bear fruit. You promised that no branch can bear fruit by itself; and that it must remain in the vine. Lord, also help us to be patient, knowing that there is nothing that we can do to move along our growing and ripening processes.