My life is like an apple tree. Some of my fruits include follower of
Christ, wife, mother, friend, sister, aunt, daughter, crafter, blogger, event
planner, DIY-er, decorator, singer, youth choir director, teacher, playdate
planner, homeowner, cleaner, cooker, baker, dog mama, cheer coach, gymnast mom,
drum mom, fashionista, and so many more.
Over time, I became focused MORE on my fruits than I
did on the rest of the tree… who cares about the leaves, the branches,
the trunk or even the roots? The only
thing others care about is the fruit, right?
Thus, I cared more about whether I showed the signs of an apple tree
that had it all and, more importantly, had it all to give away.
I mean, I had lots of
apples hanging from my limbs and I freely gave my apples to anyone who needed
them. I compromised and sacrificed myself
to be of benefit to others. After all, I had apples. LOTS of apples... but were they sweet? Were they
crisp and refreshing?
All of that
changed when one of life’s storms left my tree bare. You know what, Islanders? When you take away the fruit and leaves, all
you see are the branches and a trunk… I could’ve forgotten that I was even an
apple tree… I very easily could’ve decided never to bear fruit again. Do you know what life’s storm did? It forced this ol’ apple tree to wiggle her
roots and to remind herself that she has a groundskeeper who has been feeding the
soil the entire time. I’ve learned just
how deep-rooted in my relationship with God I am. Roots of faith, love, strength, forgiveness,
friendship, and family reminded me of who I am at my core. I seized the storm as an opportunity to strengthen
the tree and to choose what fruits I wanted to bear. For the past few weeks, I've allowed myself to focus on the
roots, the trunk and the branches… The decision to take great care of myself reminded me of how critical the act of nurturing my own tree is to the quality of my fruit. Guess what, Islanders.
I learned a valuable lesson.
I’d
rather be the tree with a few amazing apples – crisp, sweet, refreshing apples – than to
be the tree whose fruits suck the life from it (ironic how that works, huh?). I’d rather be a tree who beats the odds of
life’s storms and whose fruits are not compromised by the elements surrounding
it.
AND THAT is where my testimony, my sweetest fruit, will grow…
AND THAT is where my testimony, my sweetest fruit, will grow…
Have you
taken time to focus on your self-care? Have
you reminded yourself of where you are deep-rooted? If not, let me sow an [apple] seed in your
life. Storms are going to come. Some of
them will rattle your roots. Remember, the
rain makes you grow taller and the winds make your branches strong. Just to be sure you don't forget, I made a printable.
Hang it somewhere and glance at it often. Never mind for yourself, say it aloud to remind the rain and wind of how strong YOU are.
