Have you ever done so much for others that you just “fell down” out of pure exhaustion? On the other hand, have you ever jerked up someone by the proverbial “nap of their neck”, trying to “help” them “look better”…but in doing so, you actually hurt them with your “good intentions”? Or, have you ever avoided working on your own spiritual growth, but instead tried to associate yourself with another person or organization just so you would look better spiritually – not because you actually wanted to be better or closer to the Lord… “Oh, I am a friend to…” or, “I belong to…!”
If you have come anywhere close to experiencing any of the above, I have an apple tree story just for you!
There is a miniature apple tree in our side yard that, last year for the first time, produced a bumper crop of apples…it produced so many apples that it fell over! Thinking I would do the tree a favor and wouldn’t cause it too much trouble, I took some nylon rope and unceremoniously (without a lot of tender, loving care) stood the tree back into an upright position that I thought would look best, and cinched it to a nearby fence post to keep it in place.
It looked like things were going to be back to normal this spring…a time when little apple blossoms should be sprouting out all over the tree’s branches, but unfortunately, the little tree just produced leaves – lots of leaves, but not one apple. I had “helped” it look right, but I had participated in inadvertently destroying the secret of its fruit (and purpose for existing in our yard)!
I am no orchard expert (though I enjoy the few fruit trees under my care), but I have come to a layman’s opinion about why we do not have any apples on that tree this year. When I jerked and leveraged the tree back into an upright position to make it “look right” again, the bigger roots, which sustain the life of the tree, survived, but those fine, massive networks of tender roots, required to give sustenance to a tree with abundant fruit, were torn off or seriously damaged, shocking and immobilizing the tree’s fruit bearing system. It will take time for those fragile, nourishing roots to grow back again!
This could teach us, as believers, some “fruit tree” lessons.
The first lesson could come from the fact that if I had thinned the fruit of the apple tree appropriately, the tree wouldn’t have collapsed under the weight of the fruit. (The root structure, as good as it was, was not mature enough to bear all the weight of the apples.) How does this apply to us? We need to considerately give space and rest to those who are serving so faithfully. If we, or others, are inconsiderate in our continuing expectations of these faithful servants and they become overburdened, it may take a long time for them to regain fruitfulness from the damage the overload has caused.
Another lesson can come from my careless expedience in straightening the little apple tree. Its roots had been damaged initially by its toppling over and I should have restored the tree more gently to assure its healthier recovery. Instead, I thoughtlessly “straightened it up”…causing even more damage. How many times have we heard about people being “hurt” by inadvertent comments or negative attitudes in the church? We should be more careful about “straightening people out” for them to simply “look better” in our eyes, because we might be doing more long-term damage than we think. It is also true that many external problems folks face, are merely an outworking of internal struggles that will not be solved by simply promoting a change in outward performance. We should ask God for discernment in clearly understanding the cause of the problem and not merely reacting to the outward symptoms! God does not look on the outside (symptoms) He looks on the heart!
A final lesson is linked to the one above. Abundant fruit is the visible outworking of the hidden contribution of the unseen roots of the tree: who we are, on the inside, in our relationship with God, is of far greater importance than how “spiritual” others expect us to “look like” on the outside. In fact, the fruit our life, according to Scripture, is the only sound evidence that shows who we really are! Bad fruit, sparse fruit or no fruit reveals the condition of our source of nourishment, while good fruit is totally connected to a well-nourished root system with God. Fruit is not related to outward “style”, “works”, “content”, “success” or “doing certain things the ‘right’ way”. One cannot be spiritual because he or she closely identifies with someone else who is supposed to be spiritual or because he or she attends a church or organization that is supposed to be Godly. Enduring fruit is only directly related to how we are spiritually growing individually and how our spirit is being nurtured in our own personal relationship with God. This growth is often totally out of the analytical sight of the critiquing public and it takes time. No one may know how deep the tender roots may have to grow for us to continue to produce lasting, abundant fruit. Many times God uses trial (which may even be too personal for us to mention), struggle, and pressure, together with the normal tensions in life to build that deepening, fruit-nurturing faith in Him, in concert with His Word and prayer.
“By their fruit you will know them…” Matthew 7:16,20
May we, as trees in this local “garden of the Lord” – each one as individual “fruit bearers” in our Church, grow wonderful, deep and prolific root systems, in order to bear glorious, everlasting Spiritual fruit!
- May our roots be able to sustain balanced “bumper crops” that won’t cause us to be overburdened and fall down!
- Let’s not be quick to “straighten out” each other, but let’s be intent on graciously encouraging and strengthening one another, without shying away from honorable and necessary confrontation.
- Let’s meditate on God’s Word and be found as those who commune with God in prayer, rejoicing in the worship of God and sharing in fellowship with other believers. In these ways and more, may we seek to properly nourish the depth of our own spiritual root system. May the fruit that we bear in quality, abundance and wisdom, give sustenance to those looking to us for Spiritual nourishment.
“Little apple tree, I’m sorry I didn’t know to thin your fruit properly, which made you fall over so awkwardly…and I’m sorry I didn’t take more time in getting you upright again, but thanks for being such a good example for this story! May you grow your roots deep and bear fruit in abundance next year!”
