Bearing Fruit.

A few years after we bought our house, I decided there were two tree-like plants in our landscaping that I wanted to replace. My friend and co-worker, Elizabeth Tiley, and I placed an order from a crepe myrtle farm that included six four-foot tall “healthy crepe myrtle trees with well-established root systems.” She was getting three and I was getting three. When the box arrived at school, there was only one box. We thought the other five would be coming soon….until we opened the box. All six “trees” were there… because they were basically six little branches, not four foot tall trees.

They had to be planted in pots first and tied to some supports to hold them upright as they grew. Eventually, they grew taller and the trunk got stronger, so they became strong enough to go plant in the ground. Year after year, they grew taller and thicker and produced leaves, but no flowers. For a crepe myrtle tree, the flower represents the “fruit.”

After being established, the trees took several years to bear fruit. In the process of waiting for those flowers to come, I often thought that I got some HOOPTIE (yes, hooptie!) crepe myrtle trees or that they were going to give us nothing but leaves. It took a bit for the root system to be established enough to produce the flowers (fruit).

I use that long illustration because when something new has been planted in us (for the first time or after something else has been removed – like those first tree things in my yard), we often forget that the newly planted thing has to be nurtured, watered, and supported as it grows stronger IN YOU first. Strong roots will always produce fruits.

As we continue to let the Lord work in us, remove some things that need to go and plant some new things that need to grow…be patient with Him, with yourself and with others…abide in Him. Stay put in Him. The fruit is coming. He’s strengthening you to be able to offer that fruit to “feed” others.

Give Him access to remove what needs to go….and plant/nurture what needs to stay.

John 15