Peaches

I went fruit picking this weekend for the first time in my life. There weren't too many peaches or nectarines left since it was towards the end of the season, but it was still fun. It was also hard work. Being short, I had to crane my neck and I could only reach the fruit that was within arms length. This made finding a beautiful peach all the more worthwhile. This also increased my disappointment when I'd twist a seemingly peachy peach off and find out it was a bad fruit. What defines bad fruit? Anything with weird spots, bugs/holes, or bruises. Still, I left the farm pretty happy with my blue bucket full of good peaches.

Today, I was looking more carefully through my peaches when I found one with a small dark ring of mold on it. A wave of disappointment washed over me. But, thanks to my grandmother's example of saving anything possible, I washed it, took a knife, cut the dark part out and ate the rest of the peach. It was the sweetest peach I've ever had.

When I was picking through the fruit off the trees, I felt a bit of remorse for the peaches with blemishes. It was like that blemish defined that peach as one that was no longer worthy. Most people, including me, threw it to the ground to rot and decompose-- or be food for the flies. But I felt sad for these peaches. It was like all the effort and time they took to grow were for naught and they could not fulfill their true purpose of being eaten (and bring satisfaction to the eater--me). "They don't have feelings!", said the Boy. I know, but I still felt a bit sad.

Digging deeper, I realize why I related so much to these bad peaches. It's because we were all bad peaches to begin with. These bruises, worms, holes were our sins of lying, hating, desiring to do harm upon others. And God could have justly left us to rot, decompose, and be food for the flies. We could have easily been defined as "bad peaches". I guess this is where the rest of my analogy goes awry since Jesus did cut our sin out but didn't eat us...

But you get the picture. The peach I ate today touched me because it reminded me of how we were redeemed, not accidentally but purposefully, and how we can be the sweetest fruit to bring joy to others and to God.

For while we were still weak, 

at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—

though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—

but God shows his love for us 

in that while we were still sinners, 

Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:6-8 ESV)