Fruit of the Harvest

Carrots from my container garden.

Months ago I planted seeds in pots filled with good soil.

The seeds were watered and tended to and soon little plants popped up through the ground.

Matthew 13:1-23

Carrots like other root type veggies are interesting because the fruit that is grown cannot be seen from above. Then one day there is a glimse of orange. Tomatoes are fun to watch. They flower, form into little green pearls, then ripen on the vine to golden gems.

My little carrots aren't perfect.

Some are gnarly and twisted, some are short and stubby, some even broke on the way out but they're pretty tasty though. Tomatoes always look pretty; round and red, shiny when ripe and just good looking. My carrots won't win a good looking carrot contest, which I'm totally alright with.

A friend of mine told me while on a grocery trip she had picked up a rutabaga, which was included in a stew for her family for dinner that evening. The stew tasted bitter and was unfortunately never eaten. The reason the stew was inedidable was because of one ingredient, the rutabaga. That rutabaga was so detestable, bitter and woody, that the whole batch was spoiled. She tried picking out the dreadful rutabaga but to her dissapointment the flavor of it had dispersed all through the stew making it worthy of the trash. I'm sure the rutabaga looked good in the store. I'm sure it passed the squeeze and smell test. It's not like she could taste it before buying it, and who really does, except for the grapes (which so you know, I don't).

So back to my carrots.

Does it matter how they look or is the taste more of what you're after?

Me, I'd rather eat an ugly carrot that tastes good than a perfect looking carrot that tastes bland or bitter.

How about you?

Do you look good to others on the outside but your inside tastes bad or has no taste at all?

Matthew 5:13

I know that I want to be like that broken carrot that is sweet to taste.

Psalm 34:8

How do you speak to, or of others?

Your kids, the neighbor, your husband, even yourself.

Proverbs 16:24