The Apple Tree

Last year, a storm had blown over an apple tree near our house. The tree trunk had broken and the once tall, beautiful, fruit bearing tree was now broken and just a big mess on the ground. The area where the tree had fallen was cleaned up. The tree was cut up and stacked to dry out. Some of the wood had even been burned in a bonfire. The only visible reminder of the once mighty tree was a stump a few feet above the ground that was slowly decaying itself. As far as I was concerned, the apple tree that bloomed for years, was nothing but a memory.

I was walking by the area where the tree once stood, when something caught my eye. The stump was still there with grass and weeds growing around it. However, the thing that really surprised me was that several new apple trees were growing in the area. The tree had been dead for many months, but seeds that had been dropped by the tree, before and maybe even during the storm that had broken it, had taken root and were growing. Not just one, but several trees had grown from the seeds of the fallen apple tree. These little trees ranged inches tall to a few feet tall.

While looking at these little trees, I was reminded of 2 promises that the Bible tells us. The first promise is found in Ecclesiastes 3 verses 1-8. These verses tell us that that everything has a season. The tree grew, produced fruit, was blown over and cut up, and then its seeds were growing. This is just like the world we live in today. Things change so fast. It seems like one day we can be on top of the world and then a storm will hit. It may seem like this storm may even break us. It seems like everything is changing. However, there is one thing that does not change, and that is Jesus Christ and His love for us. Hebrews 13:8 tells us the Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. You may be in a storm right now. We can all agree that our country is in a storm right now. However, I want to give some encouragement today that in the midst of the storm that out country, and the storms that we may be facing as individuals, God’s hand is still in the plan; Jesus has not changed and we are only in a season. These seasons will change, just as the Bible tells us that they will. I love how it doesn’t say that everything will be peaceful, easy, and perfect, but these verses remind us that hard times are real, but they will pass. The best thing is that Jesus tells us that he will never leave us. That word “never” means not in the good times and not in the bad times. He is ALWAYS with us. I am reminded of the 3 Hebrew boys faced with the furnace. When the king looked in, he saw 4 men. The 4th man was Jesus. Sometimes when we go through a storm, a fire, a hard time, a time when we may be scared, let’s remember to keep our eyes on Him because others watching may see Jesus in us when we go through these times. The only Bible that someone may read is you and the only time they may read it is when they see the storms around you, but you are still holding on to Jesus and his promises.

The second thing I got out of the little apple trees is another promise that the Bible tells us. Galatians 6:7 tells us to “Be not deceived for God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” The old apple tree had produced many apples that were pleasant to the eyes and taste to many people, birds, insects, and animals. However, the storm seemed to have brought that to an end. Well the storm didn’t stop it as now it has helped to produce many new trees. We need to realize that we are like that apple tree. We produce fruit and we also will reap what we sow. What are we sowing? Are we sowing love or hatred? Are we sowing faith or fear? What are you sowing today? Some of us may never see the return on what we are sowing. The tree that did the sowing is stacked in a wood pile, but it’s still producing fruit from its seeds. A kind word, a handshake, a prayer for someone, a simple act of kindness are things we can all share. We may not see the harvest, but we planted a seed. It may take time for the seed to get watered and produced, but it will produce. What kind of a harvest are you expecting? The Bible is true, what you sow, you will harvest. Let’s make a choice today to sow love and sow the Word of God. That is a harvest we can all agree on is something we need to reap.