Bitter Fruit

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. - James 1:23 (NRSV)


A wild persimmon tree grew on the farm where I lived as a child. One summer, my mother pointed it out to me and said we would return in the fall to pick fruit for a pudding. I begged her to let me taste a persimmon.

"The fruit isn't good until after the first frost," she warned. "You won't like it." But she finally gave in to my pleading and handed me an unripe persimmon. I touched its smooth orange skin with excitement, then quickly bit down on its firm flesh. As my teeth pierced the skin, the bitter juice washed over my tongue. I spat out the bitter fruit, trying to get rid of the acrid taste that puckered my mouth.

When we returned that fall to pick ripe persimmons, my mother offered to let me taste one. I shook my head. Only when she had prepared the fruit for the pudding did I taste it. It had mellowed to a luscious flavor.

Whenever I am faced with a bitter test today, I remember the taste of that unripe persimmon. I seldom feel joy when I am tested, but my faith is a great comfort. If I can look beyond trials to see how I will grow from them, I can see how even bitter fruit may eventually become the source of something sweet.


Prayer
Dear Lord, give us patience to await the full measure of your blessings. Amen.



From: UpperRoom Devotionals - Mary Ann Clifft