While we were at this organic Apple farm, I happened to walk by an apple tree that had only one beautiful flower blooming from it’s branch. I thought it was amazing but odd that an apple tree would be budding in October. After we finished picking our apples, we asked the owner about it. He said some of their trees got “stressed out” because of lack of rain and then became dormant. However, after the weather moderated, the tree came out of dormancy and flowered as if it were springtime. It didn’t hurt the tree, in fact, next years crop will yield more blossoms and apples than this year ever did.
Some of you can relate to this stressed out tree. You may be feeling overwhelmed with all the suffering in your life and have become dormant (alive but not growing). Maybe you love God but lately you are feeling dead inside.
Don’t lose heart! Keep feeding yourself the right nutrients. Allow the rain of his Holy Spirit to quench your thirsty soul. Even if you don’t feel or see any results right away, like this apple tree, you will start blooming and eventually bear even more fruit than you did before.
“But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22