Ruth 4:13
“And the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.”
A reward that produces fruit.
Not long ago, I read about grape growing for wine production.
Each year, during the fall, the viticulturist prunes the plants severely (just
as I do my roses in February), and they look dry and thirsty all throughout the
winter. When spring comes, the water in the soil begins to come up through the
main stem until the first drop of sap comes out right from the same spot where
it was cut. Summer brings flowers, and then the fruits that eventually will
produce the wine. The promise of the coming fruit keeps the branches alive.
Nothing brings more happiness to a parent than the birth of a
child, especially the firstborn. Holding your child in your arms is the climax
of an entire life of dreams and hope. All of a sudden, life, no matter how hard
it has been, takes on a different form. Somehow, colors seem brighter, sounds
are sweeter and softer. Smells…well, that depends on whether you are sitting in
the garden with the baby or changing their diaper. For me, having children was
the culmination of all my past work. Suddenly, I felt that even my past sins
had been forgiven, and a brighter future was waiting for me as a mom. The
promise of an expected fruit keeps a mother’s hope alive.
Naomi had a hard life. Ruth had a hard life. Sometimes they
made bad decisions. Sometimes others did it for them. Now, finally, God granted
them the long-expected reward. After a long and painful winter, spring finally
appeared. “The Lord gave
her conception, and she bore a son.” God rewarded them with Obed and gave
them fruit.
But even though children are often thought of as the ultimate
symbol of fruit, not always is that fruit a child, or two, or three. It can be
so many other things: a successful business, a published book, a college degree.
A life lived in righteousness. Souls brought to Christ.
Have you received your reward yet? Have you brought forth fruit?
If not, #getittogethergirl. Get ready for the harvest. This fall, let
the Supreme Vinedresser prune you to get you ready for the summer. When you see
the sap that begins to come out of your wounds, know that your time for fruit
is near. Your redemption is coming. Come to him and lean on him. Receive his
grace and his love, which have no end, and enjoy the sweet wine of his
presence. The wine of his blood, shed for you.
Lord, you know I have been hurt. My body bears the scars of
my own sin and the sins of the world. Life has treated me harshly, but I have
decided to come to you, be obedient, and ask you to redeem me. I want to remain
in you, the true vine, so I can bear much fruit, worthy of your grace and
mercy. In Jesus’ name, amen.
My reflection:
“I am the
vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is
that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
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