Peaches

This spring, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and complete strangers, enjoyed juicy, sweet, peaches from two peach trees in my backyard. They were delicious! My favorite dessert all summer long was fresh peaches with some vanilla ice cream!

I inherited these peach trees when I bought our house a few years ago. The first couple years I had plenty of peaches to enjoy. But last year, my peach trees didn’t produce any peaches at all. Not even one. I was confused. I didn’t understand what was going on. I thought I killed them, or didn’t do something right. It just didn’t make any sense.

Since I’m not an arborist, I did some research.

Turns out, these peach trees require 50 continues days of temperatures below 45 degrees during the winter, or they don’t produce any peaches in the spring! The year I had no peaches was a mild winter in Chicagoland. If the winter isn’t cold enough, for a long enough period of time, the peach trees produce nothing.

One of God’s primary tools to produce fruit in my life is pain. Not short term pain, but often times long term pain. If I don’t endure a difficult season ,for a long enough period of time, I tend to go back to the way things were, and I produce nothing. (Love. Joy. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self Control)

My peach trees reminded me the fruit God produces in my life first requires a difficult season.

The most beautiful people in my life have endured some of the most difficult seasons of life. This is true of my wife Caroline.

ps – remember, not every difficult season in life is orchestrated by God. Sometimes I am in a painful season because I’m an idiot and make bad decisions.