Scripture is Beautiful: John 15:16

For some reason, the fact that it is Holy week now completely escaped me. I guess that's what happens as a parent of a toddler sometimes. Apparently it is also Spring Break week for most schools out here too - but since Asher isn't in school... Anyway, I want to preface this week's post with this image:

Imagine you are assigned a huge project at work. There is a deadline, and a great reward for finishing. But, your computer is broken. It is impossible to complete the project without the computer and necessary software it has on it. It. Just. Won't. Work. No matter how many times you talk with IT, or restart the darn thing, it is broken. Your project is stalled indefinitely because there is no way for the computer to be fixed before the deadline. Your hopes of the reward are dashed because without a computer, there is no project, without the project, there is no reward. You fear telling your boss about your struggle because you have no solution.

But then, one morning, you come into your work space and there, on your desk, is a brand new computer with a note from your boss saying that he watched you struggle with trying to make your limited resources work, and was proud of your efforts to overcome, but ultimately, you needed help. This project was yours to do and would not be taken away from you. Therefore, this was not a problem you could solve on your own. You feel your spirits lift. There is still enough time to complete the project. You have been set free from your worry and you are now able to use your full talents to do the job your boss has asked you to do. Your boss has not only given you the job, but he has given your the time, freedom, and resources to accomplish it.

And this is what Christ has done for us. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5). We were dead in our sins, we had no hope of being able to produce anything to lasting eternal value. No matter how many self help books, meditations, or good works we did, we were still dead. But Christ saved us from that. He brought us out of death and into life because there is work for us to. Work that has been chosen for us to do before we were even created. So with that in mind, we now come to John 15:16:

This is such a great reminder that God has given us a purpose in this life. It’s easy to forget that there is more to life than weekends, paying bills, vacations, taxes, and death. These things are so common place and occur so often that it feels like we are living to take care of the bills or mow the lawn.

Even though these things are important, God has given us a grander purpose beyond them. We are to bear fruit, fruit that will last. Fruit that will not be burned up in the fire, but will make it to heaven and bear testimony to our faithfulness. We were dead, but God raised us to life because he has a purpose for us, and a calling on our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies.

God is saying here that we don’t really have a choice about bearing fruit, because God has already assigned that to us. This is why we were created. Our lives will never be full or complete until we live into our calling and purpose and bear the fruit that God has created us to bear.

And what a lot of fruits there are! You may bear honey crisp apples or maybe pineapple. Perhaps you will be a Rambutan or Papaya. There is even a need for stinky Durian in this world. And maybe you aren’t a fruit, maybe you are a nut! It doesn’t do to compare our fruit to others. We must focus on doing what God has called us into, and hope that we will be blessed to have many, many large harvests in our years on earth. He has given us the time, resources, and freedom to complete our assignment because He is good, and loves us dearly.

And now for a random but somewhat relevant bunny trail:

Rambutan, Papaya, and Durian were all fruits that grew locally and wild in Singapore, where I grew up. Some neighbors of ours had a few Rambutan trees, and when the rambutan ripened the trees were covered with hundreds – no thousands of these beautiful red jewels. All we had to do was ring the door bell and ask for some. They gave willingly because there were too many for them to keep and eat themselves. The two trees produced enough fruit for anyone who wanted to ask for some during the harvest season. We would gorge ourselves on these sweet little fruits and then still go back for more. The generosity of our neighbors was great, and they shared their blessings without reserve.

Papaya trees grew like weeds. You literally had to watch out because if a seed fell to the ground behind a bush, there would be a tree there before you knew it and the trees bore fruit like crazy. We had a tree pop up in our front garden, and before we knew it, we had huge, heavy, oblong, orange fruits weighing the tree down. These trees were unasked-for blessings, because the sweet fruit was abundantly available for all. But like all blessings, they have to be watched over, cultivated, and harvested in good time or else they go bad or can be stolen. Near our house was a small strip of undeveloped land which hosted huge trees and wilderness. There was a gang of monkeys that traveled through there sometimes, and they would often run through our little cul-de-sac and raid the papaya trees of their fruit. When too many of their heavy bodies climbed to the top of the trees where the fruit was, the tree would lean over and often the trunk would crack and break under the weight. Then the tree died.

Durian is one of God’s little jokes to the world. The saying is that it, “tastes like heaven, smells like hell.” Durian was forbidden to be brought on the public buses and subway because of how pungent the smell was. It was one of those things that you couldn’t forget you had because you smelled it, everywhere. But the sickly sweet meat inside the spiky outer shell made for fantastic juices, and desserts. Despite the smell, there was always a demand for Durian, and most outdoor wet markets carried them in ready supply. Durian was one of those fruits that most Westerners (read: Americans, or white people from other places) didn’t understand. But there was still a need and demand for it despite its smell.

So you see, everyone's fruit is different, and blesses others in different ways. So, go and bear abundant fruit, be faithful to God's purpose in and for you, and don't let the monkeys climb your papaya tree.