Colossians 1:9-12
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped
praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of
his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so
that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every
way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being
strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you
may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the
Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his
holy people in the kingdom of light.
I eat blueberries every morning.
I’ve spent a week at my daughter’s house to help her after
knee surgery. Hannah and Stephen have three blueberry bushes in their backyard.
In all of my 66 years, I’ve never picked fresh blueberries. The night before
surgery, we went outside in the South Carolina heat and tugged the pretty blueberries
from the bushes and blackberries from an adjacent bush.
I found the colors of the blueberries in their various stages
of growth pleasing as well as the soft shade of green of the leaves. One
morning while I was there, a friend of Hannah’s brought her two small children
to pick some berries. I showed the little boy the difference between the ripe
berries and the small green ones just growing, and the red ones, at the in
between stage. He and his little sister did well differentiating between them.
As we picked, the verses in Colossians came to mind as I
thought about the various stages of development. The little green orbs reminded me to bear
fruit, while the red ones encouraged me to grow in the knowledge and word of
God, and the sweet blue ones gave me hope of being strengthened by God and
filled with joy.
While blueberries offer positive effects like antioxidants and
better heart health, the Holy Spirit dwells with me and gives me endurance and
patience every day, plus the best spiritual heart health, ever.
I’m thankful God created blueberries, and I’m grateful He
sent his Spirit to help me through the everyday challenges of life on earth.
Thank you, Father, for your love.
