...other meditations

spoiled fruit

did you ever hear the phrase ‘one bad grape spoils the whole bunch'? i have heard that phrase many times. i had often taken it for granted, yet now its meaning seems clearer to me. i recently committed the following scripture verse to memory and it reminded me of this very subject.

see to it that no one misses the Grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. hebrews 12:15

when i buy grapes at the grocery store, i search high and low to find the best looking bunch. when i place them in my cart or basket, i am gentle, so as not to bruise them. at the checkout and on the way home, i am diligent in protecting them. at home, the grapes are washed, drained and placed into a storage container. amazingly, they make it home and are washed without any casualties. they look (and taste) great!

a couple grape purchases ago, i noticed that i had not picked a very nice bunch. in fact, if i recall correctly, there wasn't a very nice selection to begin with. however, i took the same care with them but accidentally left one hidden, unnoticed spoiled grape on the vine. little did i know, that one little ‘bad' grape progressively worsened the grapes that were nearby. in due time, the freshness of the rest of them suffered. i eventually needed to throw them out.

after reading hebrews 12:15 , i was reminded of those grapes and was prompted to search deeper into the meaning. i then began to envision myself as a cluster of grapes. everything's looking good; depending on the view of course. but if i allow just one ‘bad' grape, one ‘bad' area of my life, to remain in me, it will affect the other areas of my life. this infectious spoiling of good fruit doesn't end with me. the decay will also spread to those around me.

if i harbor ill feelings, bitterness, addictions and/or bad behaviors within me, there will come a time when they will be displayed for everyone to see. unfortunately, by doing this, i am capable of taking many others down with me, and this is not how i wish to live my life. Lord, forgive me!

instead, i desire to show others the Grace of God through my love and my actions. my attitude must be like that of Christ (philippians 2:5-18). i must be willing to humble and purify myself. i must strive to inspect my ‘fruit' on a daily basis and allow God to reveal those hidden, bitter weeds that need immediate removal. it will take patience and perseverance to endure this process, but i am confident that my Grocer will select only the best that i have to offer!

imperfect produce;
inspected and loved by God,

tamara