Peace for Produce
I imagined myself walking through the produce section in a fresh fruit and vegetable market. I strolled up and down the aisles, admiring the bright yellow bananas, glossy green peppers, and red grapes that looked like they were about to pop. As I continued down one of the rows, I began to see apples that were just a little overripe. Some of the pears were getting soft brown spots on them. By the end of the aisle, the cartons of strawberries were filled with white, fuzzy mold. I could smell the rotten carrots. At the end of the produce section, I met a man who told me that I could pick any piece of fruit that I wanted. I quickly turned around, ran back to the front of the produce section, and selected the most obvious choice: a perfectly ripe, vibrant, fragrant orange. "I choose this one!"
Suddenly my day dream was interrupted by busyness, stress, fatigue, sleepiness, and all the woes of college life. Still I found myself whsipering to myself, "I choose this one. I choose peace."
Today the fruit of the Spirit of peace has been on the forefront of my mind. When I finally sat down for lunch after standing on my feet for a 6 hour clinical, I pictured myself in the produce aisle with that orange, saying, "I choose the fruit of the Spirit of peace." When my microbiology professor outlined the rest of the semester of our lab, my mind started freaking out, but I envisioned myself selecting that ripe orange fruit. "I choose peace," I told myself again. Now I sit at my computer desk at 11:07 p.m., realizing that I have been awake since 5:30 a.m., yet knowing that I still need to study for two tests that I have tomorrow. Stress and exhaustion creep back in my mind, so I remind myself again and again to choose peace.
Stress bombarded my mind, heart, and body today. Everytime it attacked, the Spirit within me reminded me that peace is a choice. I don't have to be stressed, even when all circumstances lead in that direction. Because the Spirit of God lives inside me, I have the option to pick the most ripe and delicious piece of fruit...the fruit of peace. This peace is a supernatural peace, a peace that exists in absolute chaos, a peace that can only be explained by the power of the Lord.
I confess that I didn't hold onto that fruit very tightly today. I would pick it up for a while, but then I would lay it back down and let stress creep in. Then I would choose peace a second time, only to let it slip out of my hands when things got crazy all over again. It was a roller-coaster, but I think I am learning something through the wild ride.
I am choosing peace for my produce, and this time I am taking a huge bite out of that orange before I am tempted to lay it back on the rack again.
Suddenly my day dream was interrupted by busyness, stress, fatigue, sleepiness, and all the woes of college life. Still I found myself whsipering to myself, "I choose this one. I choose peace."
Today the fruit of the Spirit of peace has been on the forefront of my mind. When I finally sat down for lunch after standing on my feet for a 6 hour clinical, I pictured myself in the produce aisle with that orange, saying, "I choose the fruit of the Spirit of peace." When my microbiology professor outlined the rest of the semester of our lab, my mind started freaking out, but I envisioned myself selecting that ripe orange fruit. "I choose peace," I told myself again. Now I sit at my computer desk at 11:07 p.m., realizing that I have been awake since 5:30 a.m., yet knowing that I still need to study for two tests that I have tomorrow. Stress and exhaustion creep back in my mind, so I remind myself again and again to choose peace.
Stress bombarded my mind, heart, and body today. Everytime it attacked, the Spirit within me reminded me that peace is a choice. I don't have to be stressed, even when all circumstances lead in that direction. Because the Spirit of God lives inside me, I have the option to pick the most ripe and delicious piece of fruit...the fruit of peace. This peace is a supernatural peace, a peace that exists in absolute chaos, a peace that can only be explained by the power of the Lord.
I confess that I didn't hold onto that fruit very tightly today. I would pick it up for a while, but then I would lay it back down and let stress creep in. Then I would choose peace a second time, only to let it slip out of my hands when things got crazy all over again. It was a roller-coaster, but I think I am learning something through the wild ride.
I am choosing peace for my produce, and this time I am taking a huge bite out of that orange before I am tempted to lay it back on the rack again.
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