My husband and I walk toward the town square, holding steaming cups of coffee. We weave our way around freckled, exuberant dogs and sleeping babies in strollers. It’s the first weekend of the farmer’s market in our town. Over the next few months, this place will be a rainbow: vivid red strawberries, sweet blueberries, and peaches in all the colors of a sunrise.

We’ll wait with anticipation for each one. “Are they here yet?” we’ll ask each week. Then we will point at the newest arrival with delight, like children in a candy store. We’ll hand over faded green dollars and slip fruit into crackly brown paper bags. We’ll carry it home and take the first bite right over the sink, juice dripping down our chins.

I thought of this recently when I received news I didn’t want. A disappointment. Perhaps, depending on how I looked at it, even a failure. A growing and thriving opportunity suddenly went almost barren. If I ran my hand along the branches of it, I would find only rough bark and sharpened limbs. I mourned over this. I went on long walks with my husband. I watched old shows on television. I sat on the back porch with mug after mug of tea.

Then lying in bed one night, these phrases came to mind: “like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:3 CSB). These words are spoken about those who trust and obey God, who dig their roots deep into His love. Jesus said it too: “The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit” (John 15:5 CSB).

When hard news comes, when difficulties happen, we can be tempted to think that if our life is a farmer’s market, the stalls will now be empty. There will be only fragile leaves chased away by the wind. All the glory and color will be gone. But the reality is this: As long as we are joined to Jesus, there will be fruit in our lives — from the time we are sneaker-wearing teenagers to silver-haired senior citizens blowing out one hundred candles on the cake. In other words, there will always be miraculous things coming to and through us.

The fruit in our lives will thrive. That doesn’t mean nothing hard will ever happen or we’ll get everything we want. But it does mean that God’s plans for our lives are invincible when we stay connected to Him. Life’s droughts and storms can’t stop Him from bringing forth His miraculous work in and through us.

So let’s cling to God’s promises. Hold tight to His heart. Have strong roots that burrow deep into His affection for us. We will not falter. We will not fail. We will not lead a barren life at any age. Psalm 92:14 CSB says, “They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green.” Yes, we will be
women of beauty, growth, and blessings as long as we live. Because we are trees planted by the river of God’s love, and it will never run dry.

Our role is to trust the rhythm of the Gardener, to not demand only bananas year-round like an impatient toddler. We understand — somewhere deep inside — this is not the way it’s meant to be. “Fruit in its season” means God isn’t in a hurry. He never runs out of time because He has
eternity. So do we. And God doesn’t need me to make five, fifteen, or forty more bushels. The expectations I place on myself are not necessarily His.

What our lives produce doesn’t have to be perfect. I remember a fruit stand on the side of the road that caught my attention. As I approached it, a weather-worn farmer who looked to be in his 80s gave me a bright smile. He extended his hand which held a gorgeous peach and asked, “Would you like to try it?” I accepted and found it utterly delicious. The farmer smiled with satisfaction and nodded, “It’s good, isn’t it?”

Unlike that farmer, I can hesitate to share the fruit God produces in my life with those around me. I think it’s not good enough. I’m afraid they won’t like it. So I hide it away. But what if the farmer did the same? His peaches were delightful, but not perfect. There were bumps, bruises, and scrapes in some places. He could have hidden them in his barn out of shame and fear until they rotted away. Then I and many others would have missed out on something wonderful.

So I’m challenging all of us today to offer our fruit. Whatever gifts God has entrusted to us, let’s share them. Whatever talents He’s blessed us with, let’s use them. Whatever words of encouragement He’s placed within our hearts, let’s speak them. Those who receive our fruit will be blessed. And perhaps our heavenly Father will smile with satisfaction as He sees the fruit in our lives and once again say, “It’s good, isn’t it?”

At the farmer’s market, I reach for a berry the color of flame. I think of how it has waited so long and braved so much to come to me. And suddenly, I see the disappointment I’d been so concerned about differently.

It wasn’t a failure; it was simply a changing season in my life. Whatever might be ahead will not be the same. But it will be good—sweet and ripe for its time.

This devotion is by Holley Gerth as featured in the summer issue of Everyday Faith Magazine.

The Summer issue of DaySpring’s Everyday Faith magazine is out, and we think you’ll love it!

From cover to cover, you will find stories and articles in Everyday Faith magazine to inspire hope, encourage your heart, and remind you that you are loved by God.

You’ll discover tips on how to spruce up your front porch for the summertime and how to become a morning person, devotions for summer road-tripping, journaling prompts to grow in your faith, stories of hope during difficult times, and ideas about how to live your faith this summer. These pages are full of the best kind of hope and encouragement – truth from God’s Word.

The article above is just one of many featured in Everyday Faith magazine, which, by the way, is perfect for gifting to a friend, Bible study sister, Sunday School teacher, or neighbor. And to help you do just that, we’re giving away FIVE sets of magazines — one for each winner and one for them to give to a friend! Leave a comment telling us to whom you’d gift a copy, and we’ll draw five winners.

Giveaway is open to US addresses only and will close on 6/2/24 at 11:59 pm central. 

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