"I think I'll see if there are any more ripe tomatoes on the vines," I said to my husband. We had picked about 20 a few days before, so I didn't expect many more yet. Scouring the over-grown tomato plants, I caught a glimpse of bright red near the ground.
Sure enough, it was a ripe tomato! I brushed off the bit of dirt and leaves on the underside and took it inside. A little rinsing under the faucet yielded a shiny, delicious-looking treat. I added it to the diminishing supply waiting in a colander.
Carefully foraging in the tomato patch among some broken vines, I thought of the scripture in Isaiah 42:3, "A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench." This means that if there is just a spark in smoldering ashes, as in a soul needing God, it can be nurtured back to a flame. The first part of the verse indicates that if someone is down, discouraged or dismayed, we are to follow the prophetic pattern of Jesus to lift them up and be an encouragement.
I think of the tender vines that are children. They can be very spiritual, seeing as how they have so recently come from heaven. Their innocence and ready belief MUST make us nurture them in following Jesus.
I have a passel of great-grandchildren; the oldest two are 7. Recently one of them was with his mother as she paid a utility bill when she heard him telling people about Jesus! His two-year-old cousin loves the family devotions and Bible stories, and often leads in prayer, reminding the family to "put your heads down." Then he softly prays. His 6-year-old brother is so knowledgeable and unashamedly devout we think he will be a preacher!
Jesus tells us in John 4:35 that the harvest is ripe, when he says, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest." The harvest is ripening, and not just the tomatoes.
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