The Apple Harvest

This morning, I caught this picture of my apple tree. I have one lonely apple tree on 125 acres. It is my only fruit-bearing tree. Often, people ask me why I don’t plant an orchard. “You have such good soil! And would have such a great cash crop! Start an organic apple business!”

While I appreciate the sentiment and the business idea, this one tree produced enough apples last year to feed fresh and canned apples to my family for seven months, served as a favorite daily snack and treat to 5 large horses for many months, and several bushels were given away to neighbors, friends and my church community. Yet, the apples just kept coming. They couldn’t be eaten or given away fast enough.

I don’t need a field of apple trees. The Lord gave me everything I needed with this one tree. The yield was plentiful, and the blessings were countless. The Lord always gives us what we need. The secret is accepting God’s gifts and using them for the fulfillment of others.

Spring has been slow in coming this year, but it is just as magnificent as ever. Oftentimes, we miss the beauty of a sunrise or the trees becoming green. Repeatedly, our blessings are right in front of us. We need to welcome the new day and thank God for His many gifts. The Lord gave us all we need when He gave us Jesus, who died for our sins. May we celebrate and be thankful today as we begin a new week.