The Battle for Fresh Fruit

“It must be nice to get all of that fresh produce for free.”  

A garden can provide an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables right in your own backyard.  However, to say that it is free would be a great misstatement.  

There’s the cost of the seeds, or starter plants; the soil and amendments; fertilizer; pest control; and don’t forget the water.  Even if you harvest seeds from last year’s fruit, and have the soil with some natural fertilizer available (think cows in the pasture or a compost bin), it still costs money to tend a garden.  For anyone who has gardened, and done the math, they realize that sometimes it is just better to go pay the price at the store from an economic standpoint.

Then you have to consider the time and energy of caring for the garden.  In most cases, it is a continual chore to be sure that the water is the right amount, weeds are pulled, pests are kept at bay, plants are pruned and picked, and so on.  Unless you enjoy the time spent with the dirt on your hands, it can be a burden.  Even when you enjoy the process, it is still work.

A Thief

Some of my tomato plants were producing an abundance of fruit, and we were enjoying fresh tomatoes and even sharing them with others.  Then, the green fruit started to disappear.  There was one nice sized tomato that was getting close to turning red that I was watching.  One morning, I looked at it and about a third of it was gone!  

I was also noticing that my grape and cherry tomatoes were disappearing before they were ripening.  Was it the squirrels?  The tooth marks indicated a rodent of some kind, not a bird.  I needed to identify the thief and implement measures to protect my fruit.

I got some bags to put over the fruit which slowed the thefts.  But it was several days before I was able to identify the thief – when I came face to face with a kangaroo rat.  If you’ve followed my devotional posts since the beginning in 2018, you may remember my opinions about rodents, rats and mice especially.  In summary, I don’t like them.  They are nasty little creatures that God created for some reason, just not one that I understand.  

It took a few more days before I was able to get rid of that rat.  I’ll spare you the details in case you are sensitive to all of God’s creatures, even rodents.  We were back to enjoying a harvest of tomatoes.

Pests

Unfortunately, the rat wasn’t the only pest that I had to deal with for my tomato and pepper plants.  There was something eating holes in the leaves.  I got some organic pest stuff (I know super technical terminology), and sprayed the leaves a few times.  The plants were looking better.

But one of the plants just wasn’t looking healthy.  I took a picture with my unnamed internet source and it told me that I had mealy bugs!  They were eating the insides of the plants so that the water and nutrients were not able to get to the branches and fruit.  Something that I had never cared about before was suddenly my number one enemy (well, slight exaggeration).  War was declared.

The infected plant was separated from the others and treatment was begun on it as well as all of the plants.  Unfortunately, by the time it was discovered, that one plant was mostly gone.  Pruning ensued and treatment continued on what was remaining.  I still have hope for a little bit of fruit from the plant, but it’s a dim hope at this point.

Spiritual Application

Lest you think that I’m writing all of this because I think you care about my gardening adventures, there is a point to be made.  As I’ve been spending money and working to get fresh fruit to eat and share with others, the Lord has given me some spiritual insights.

We all are designed by God to produce spiritual fruit.  The seed was made specifically for the type of fruit that we are to provide to the world.  Unfortunately, there are many obstacles that get in the way of our fruit production.

First, there is the cost.  The Lord’s gifts to us are immeasurable.  There is not a cost to salvation, that is a free gift, but there is a cost to following Him.  Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (see Matthew 16:24-26 and Luke 9:23-24).  Those are costs that we get to choose if we are willing to pay.  Our friends and family may distance themselves from us because of our walk with the Lord.  We won’t be “normal” to those around us.

To produce healthy fruit of the Holy Spirit, we have to give up old habits and patterns.  Thought processes need to be renewed, behaviors need to change, we are no longer our own person as we become slaves to righteousness (see Romans 6).

It is a daily task of feeding our souls and spirits with the Word of God (the Bible).  We are to walk in communion with Him throughout each and every day.  Feeding on the food of His word, talking with Him (prayer), and communing with other believers is vital for our health and growth.

We also need to be diligent to protect the budding and developing fruit.  The enemy (satan and his minions) will steal the fruit before it’s ripe.  Pests will come and eat at the edges of our life or chew holes in us which may seem small and insignificant at the time but are stealing important nutrients and health.  Some bugs may even attack our inner being like the mealy bugs, eating away inside until we are no longer able to receive the water of the Word which is our lifeblood.

Some deep infections require outside help.  Too often, we are embarrassed, and instead of getting help, we isolate ourselves from our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Pride or shame keep us from dealing with the root issues and leave us withered and unfruitful.  Some pests require an all out war.  In Christ, the victory has already been won, we just need to do the work to claim it.

How is your fruit production?  Are there things in your life that are keeping you from being all that God designed and created you to be?  Is there something that you need to give up?  What pests, small or large, do you need to address to be healthier and more fruitful?