Fertilize Your Fruit

It started off as a busy morning: hustle, bustle, breakfast, out the door, rush, rush, rush.  Four trips back into the house for forgotten items and this momma knew we needed a better system of organization!   It all came to a head when I was buckling in my two year old, who looked searchingly into my face and asked, “Momma grumpy?”  I started laughing!  Yes, I was being grumpy, and obviously it was coming through.  That one statement has replayed in my head several times since then, and yes, I’ve been accused of it a few times since then!

Parenthood is a pressure cooker.  I used to feel (pre-blessings) like I had pretty steady flow of nice ripe fruit on the spiritual tree.  It took little effort back then; there was more time to study, pray, and linger in the presence of God.  Now looking back, I realize I just didn’t have much fruit squeezing going on!  Life today looks a little different; well, let’s be honest, a LOT different!  But the pressure to perform under pressure has never been greater.  Whatever we sow to the flesh we will reap. Many times it is reaped in the lives of our little ones.  Hmm, that sounds familiar…and oh, yeah, I may have made that expression on my face the other day. Is that my impatience showing up in my child?  Now more than any other time of life, our fruit needs to be strong, full, and ready to be picked and harvested at a moment’s notice.

My children need to see me handling pressure well, the little things and the big things.  They need to learn that patience pays off and self-control is a worth the price to attain it, no matter how much it may cost. I have found it to be a worthy goal, an imperative decision and a life changing one for every person in the family.  So fix your eyes, find your strength, forget about yesterday, focus your attention and  fertilize your fruit!