More about apples

Carolyn Lewis
Posted 10/7/21

People have been noticing for some time now that I am limping and sometimes wear a therapy boot.

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More about apples

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People have been noticing for some time now that I am limping and sometimes wear a therapy boot. I somehow tore my Achilles and it’s been taking it’s time about healing. Favoring that leg has made my balance worse than usual and has caused me to be a lot more klutzy. That got me to thinking again about our trip to Dick Young’s Apple Orchard and what I learned there. In my last article I explained how one pest burrows into the core of the apple and eats the seeds to destroy the apple and make it impossible to have seeds to replant, therefore it cannot reproduce. I used it to compare to what the devil does to gnaw away at the seed of faith Christ plants within us, and to eat away at it to make us doubt God. 

This week I have been thinking about another lesson I got from the trip to the orchard. My balance has gotten worse, and I trip more often, and that is a big problem with my core. I tried to strengthen my core a lot while doing water aerobics in the pool all summer and by therapy this fall, but it is something I have to watch out for all the time now. 

The dictionary describes core as the central part of something, the heart, essence, or nucleus that creates steadiness or balance. It’s also a way of estimating value of one thing over another or comparing or weighing a situation. We often think of leading a balanced life, with time for work, play, diet and rest, and spiritually not being so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. We need balance in all things.

To me, the core of my essence is Jesus. He is the only one who can bring balance to my life and keep me centered and going in a straight direction. His seed in me grows as I read and study His Word and try to stay on the right path in my life. Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Even when I am tempted, God will defend me and keep me as I continue to stay in His word. Ps 119:110-112

“The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.” Just as I have to exercise to keep my physical balance, I have to continually grow and learn to exercise my faith in Jesus to keep spiritually balanced. My heart is at the core of my relationship with Jesus, and I need to have it refreshed daily to keep it in balance. 

Just as the apple is connected to the tree by a stem, I am connected to God with all my heart, soul and body, ever since that day I prayed to receive Him into my heart and gave Him control of my life. Ps 37:3, 4 “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” That is one of my favorite verses, and it tells me to ask God to give me the desires of my heart. As I ask Him for the desires He wants me to have, He guides me and shows me what He desires for me to do in my life. He gives me the desire to do the right thing, to care for others as He did while He was on this earth, and to care for my family and neighbors as He would do. It’s His desires I want to fulfil for my life and that is what keeps me balanced. 

As we go about our life, there are myriad things we can see in the world around us that remind us of God and how everything He created has a purpose and meaning for our lives. We see how tragic it can be when things in nature get out of balance, and how it hurts others when we start tipping the scales the wrong way in our life. It’s especially important now, since so many things in our country are changing. We can’t let ourselves be distracted from the purpose God has for us during these times. Let it be the desires of our hearts to stay strong and steady in our relationship with God; and to let the seed of our faith grow daily as we seek Him. 

Jeremiah 29:11 “’For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”