Shortly after Alvin moved to Phoenix in 2001, he decided that he wanted a lemon tree. Coming from the Midwest, having citrus trees in your yard was a novelty for him. We had orange and grapefruit trees, but no lemon. Since it was Summer, the time for planting citrus was long gone, and his tree would have to wait until the following Spring. Unfortunately, he got sick the following Spring, and the lemon tree was the least of our worries. He passed away on July 2, 2002, just shy of his 28th birthday.
That following Spring, I remembered Alvin's wish for a lemon tree. So I planted one in the front yard outside the big bay window where I could look at it every day. In some small way, it was a memorial to Alvin, a way of continuing the circle of life. It took a few years for the tree to mature and start producing fruit. And produce it did. Every year now, the tree has been loaded with so many lemons I can't give them all away.
For whatever reason, this past winter's crop was especially bountiful. I don't recall ever seeing the lemons as big as they were this time. Sometime during December, when the lemons were still ripening (they are usually ready for picking in January), we had a rather severe rain storm. I came home from work one evening and found a very large limb of the tree had broken and was hanging down by the trunk, still attached. I don't know exactly what caused this, but I suspect it was a combination of the weight of the fruit and the rain, and the heavy winds that were prevalent that day.
I decided the leave the branch intact, to see if it would survive long enough for the lemons to ripen. Sure enough, by mid-January, I was giving away dozens of lemons from that broken limb. After the lemons were all gone, I intended to prune it off, but never got around to it. Since we had such a mild winter, the tree started blossoming before the old crop was even harvested. And wouldn't you know it? That broken limb put forth an abundance of fragrant blossoms and new leafage. As damaged as it is, it has no intention of giving up its life, as long as it's still attached to the trunk of that tree. Here's a photo of that broken limb, three months after the incident:
I thought about the passage from John 15 where Jesus was teaching His disciples about the vine and the branches. He told them that they needed to remain in Him in order to thrive and fulfill the calling that He was giving them. He knew that they would face incredible opposition and storms in the coming days and years, and wanted to prepare them for that.
The same holds true for us. No matter what life throws at us, we can not only survive, but thrive, when we stay connected to the source of life. The winds of opposition and storms of life may hit us hard, and even break us. But if we remain attached to Christ, we can continue to produce the fruit of the Spirit. The Apostle Paul summed it up this way:
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
We may be broken by the trials of this life: the death of a spouse or child, the loss of a job, failing health, the betrayal of a close friend, or any other devastating situation. But as long as we cling to Jesus and remain in fellowship with Him, we have His promise to remain with us. We may be broken, but we're not dead.
Have a blessed week!
Pastor David
