365 Project - Days 310, 311

"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." John 15:4-8

In an attempt to get my family out of the house on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, I suggested apple picking. This was the first weekend the apples were ripe for picking and I was anxious to get an early start to the apple picking season. Shortly before the farm closed, I dragged my husband and son out to Silverman's Farm. We had a great time picking far more apples than we could eat.

Walking among the trees was interesting. Certainly, some trees bore richer, riper, redder fruit than others. Some bore little to no fruit (not just that they had been picked dry), while others were overflowing. At one point, a couple of small children ran through the tight trees, randomly knocking apples off the branches. It was clear, they had little reverence for the fruit.

The orchard reflects a bit of a metaphor of life and its seasons. There are times in our lives when we bear an abundance of fruit. Too often, though, we run through life without acknowledging that fruit and our blessings. We show little reverence; have little faith. And, like the apples that fell from the trees that day, the blessings rot away.

I'm hoping to make a shift and spend more time being thankful for the blessings I have today with faith and expectation that an abundance of fruit is on the way. An overflow of blessings, more than enough, so that I have plenty to share and be a blessing to others.

Blessings.


Today's Photos: Bearing Fruit

I had a tough time selecting the photos for Days 310 and 311 ...

Here are the winners:

And the runners up:

“The world is full of abundance and opportunity, but far too many people come to the fountain of life with a sieve instead of a tank car… a teaspoon instead of a steam shovel. They expect little and as a result they get little.” Ben Sweetland