Artwork for heart-work
From where I stand at my kitchen island, packing our boys’ lunches this morning, I look across the room at two pieces of botanical artwork, framed and hanging together on the wall. They’re just vintage reproductions, so they hold no monetary value, but they’re significant for other reasons. They symbolize reassurance, whether I’m doubting God’s plan, God’s timing, or His purpose for me.
The first image is an almond branch, and I love the story it stirs up in my heart. God chose Jeremiah to bring His message to Israel, but it was an intimidating calling for Jeremiah to consider. He looked inward and didn’t feel capable - an honest evaluation of himself! But God graciously reassures Jeremiah that it will be through God’s Word in his mouth and God’s presence with him that enable Jeremiah to do what God created him to do.
Then, Jeremiah has a vision of an almond branch, a play on words in Hebrew that sounds like the verb watching. God explains His illustration: “…for I am watching over my word to perform it.” Jeremiah 1:12
And every time Jeremiah passed an almond tree on his way to speak to the crowds, he could remember the One who was watching. God hadn’t forgotten what He’d said. No matter how long it took, or how it was received, His Word would be fulfilled. It wouldn’t come about because of Jeremiah’s vigilance or ability but because of God’s watchful gaze over His Word. His promises are sure because He’s never let them out of His sight.
The other frame displays a pear, the fruit I always pick out when it’s too hard; then I either wait too long or bite into it too early. Ugh! Such a waste! There’s nothing quite like perfectly ripened fruit that’s had the time it’s needed to develop behind the scenes, attached to the life-giving vine. This growth cycle isn’t familiar to most of us, living modern lifestyles disconnected from the rhythms of vineyards, orchards, and farmland, but we know fruit is best when it’s actually in season.
The psalmist describes what can happen when our lives are like fruit trees with roots buried deep in the soil of God’s Word: “The one whose delight is in the law of the Lord is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season, and its leaf does not wither.” Psalm1:3
Life’s seasons can’t be fast-tracked. But there is a guarantee of fruit, a promise of harvest in the right season, if we soak in the source of life, God’s Word. When we do, our growth behind the scenes will yield fruit.
God is watching. No time with Him is wasted.