By: Mrs. Fry
Before camp, a friend gave me five baby raspberry bushes to plant. I did not plant them before camp. My sweet husband did not water them while I was at camp. It did not rain and it was quite hot the entire time I was gone. My baby raspberry plants were not happy. You can tell by the way their leaves shriveled up and turned brown. I have since done all I know to do for them—I have planted them in good soil and watered them. I cannot make them turn green, I cannot make them grow, and I certainly can’t make them produce raspberries. I can only keep watering them.
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”
Psalm 1:1-3 NIV
Maybe you’re shriveling up a little since camp. Maybe you thought you would be producing fruit right away, and you see no sign of a raspberry. I wanted to encourage you with some lessons we can take from this passage.
1) Position
Don’t do what you know is wrong. Don’t go where you know you’re not supposed to go. Don’t hang out with people God told you not to hang out with. Maybe you’re not producing fruit because you didn’t follow through on some steps you know you need to take down the mountain. It’s not too late to position yourself for the blessing God has for you. Do it! We’re with you heart and soul.
2) Proximity
The reason the tree in this passage flourishes is its proximity to the stream. Practically, that looks like “meditating on the law day and night.” Stay close to the stream (God) by really studying His Word every day and thinking about it throughout your day as it applies to your life. Talk to Him, listen for Him, look for Him.
3) Process
Trust the process. There’s a line in there that’s easy to miss—“yields it’s fruit in season.” No matter how much I want raspberries and how healthy my plants are, they will not yield fruit until it’s raspberry season. Be persistent and patient in your good habits. The fruit will come in time.
4) Produce
The great thing is, you can absolutely expect fruit! The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are as sure as raspberries on a healthy raspberry plant!
So, to sum it up; Put yourself in good positions, keep in close proximity to the stream, trust the process, and you can expect abundant produce.