A lecture at the library on growing fruit trees in Florida was not the usual way my prayer partner and I celebrated special occasions, but it was her birthday, so when she expressed interest I agreed to go with her. I’d already benefited from the bounty of lemons from the tree in her backyard, so in the interest of fresh produce, we went.
As the Master Gardener narrated his Power Point presentation, explaining chill hours, fertilizers, and cultivars, my mind wandered to the Bible study I’d attended that morning. I’d sat with a circle of women balancing books on our knees, cradling coffee cups in our hands. We were reading about the women who watched the crucifixion from a distance, a Mary or two and one woman not named, merely described as “the mother of James and John.” After sharing the facts of what we’d been reading, the leader asked which of these women we related to, and why? Two women answered, each mentioning a different Mary from the passage. I felt a nudge to share that I related to the mother of James and John. For years I’ve been defined by being a home school mom, and I’ve found the work of educating my children to be beautiful and incredibly meaningful, but that season was soon coming to an end. Then my voice hit that less-than-perfect pitch of those who are choked up with emotion. They responded kindly towards my tears before our meeting closed and we filed out into the bright spring sunshine.
After class I joined my prayer partner for a picnic in the park. She opened her gifts, we talked, we ate sushi and sipped iced tea. As we filed into the library I commented on how often I used to visit this library as home school mom when my children were young…
The Master Gardener continued his lecture, listing specific guidelines for growing citrus. I sat up straight when I heard him share the plight of Florida’s orange growers. Orange blight has damaged a great many orange groves, so in their place, the farmers are planting olive trees.
That’s what’s happening in my life, I realized. Homeschooling was like overseeing an orange grove: fragrant orange-blossoms, colorful fruit, sweet, Vitamin C-packed juice every day. But now I’ll be growing olive trees: deep roots, tangy olives, rich olive oil.
I experienced that sense of depth and peace that often accompanies revelation from the Holy Spirit. I felt a renewed sense of Hope, a confidence not so much in the details of my future, but in the One who holds my future. He is the God of creation, of the garden, of fruitfulness. He’s also the God of resurrection power. My sweet, fragrant home school season is soon ending, but He still has good things planned for me. These few minutes of photos from an olive grove reminded me of that.
Sometimes He speaks through His word, but sometimes He meets us at the library, and it’s His power behind the Power Point.
Odino 