Lessons From A Grapefruit

"Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so." Genesis 1:29,30

I wasn't going to blog today. Saturday mornings the kids usually wake first, claim the computers,and then mom has to wait her turn. In the meantime I get busy tackling projects and whatnot, and by the time a computer is available, I am well ensconced in a Saturday activity. But then Zander and Daddy left for a birthday party, Abigail sat down to a much-anticipated alone video game time, and I decided to peel a grapefruit.

It's my first grapefruit of the season, so I decided to eat it the difficult way- peeling it, removing the pith and then removing the skin from each individual segment, leaving just the tender juice-filled cells for enjoying. As I peeled and segmented I just marveled at this grapefruit, at how perfect it was, and how perfect it was going to taste. And I tell you, I did a bit of worshiping while peeling this grapefruit. I thanked God for fruit, and the pleasure from eating fruit, I thanked God for the wondrous variety he created, and just dwelled on all the different fruit we eat, and also how each one is ripe and perfect to eat at a different time of the year. It's amazing and oh, so perfect.

And then I thought about Eve in the garden of Eden. I thought about how they probably had all the different fruit trees on earth right there for their pleasure. I imagined her walking from tree to tree, sampling each and every fruit and savoring the sweet juices and the nourishment gained from the fruits. And I wondered if I was Eve, would I have been able to resist that serpent. I would have done the same thing as Eve, I think. As I so enjoy fruit, and I imagine looking at the forbidden tree and wondering what it was about that fruit that made it so special. And I would walk to a pear tree and eat a pear, walk to a plum tree and eat a plum, maybe grab a handful of cherries from a cherry tree, add to that an apricot, a fig and a kiwi, and whether the apple was an actual apple or a pomegranate, as I've also heard it said, either way, how could I not want whatever that fruit was! It would have taken very little for me to be swayed by that serpent.

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. " Genesis 3:6

I want to just point out one thing about Eve her, and one of the reasons I like her so much. She took the fruit and ate it, which I already admitted I would have done in her place. But then she shared it. She shared it with Adam, instead of keeping it to herself. Think about it, she could have eaten alone, Adam wouldn't have touched the tree himself. You know those questions of "what if"? What if she had eaten the fruit alone and not shared- what would have happened next? But she didn't, as she was not selfish by nature. Instead, she shared this wonderful new fruit with Adam, sharing the whole sensual experience of eating this fruit- and sharing the revelation that came with it.

I love the fact that she wasn't selfish, because I think as women, we aren't selfish in nature to begin with- I think that's a learned trait. I think so often we see commercials and read books and ads and such that tell us how much we deserve this, and how much we deserve that, and over time, the selfish nature develops. I can't imagine what it was like to bite into an apple for the first time and experience that crisp skin and burst of juice that I've never had before. I can come close when I think about the first time I had a papaya, but I was so quick to share that taste sensation with my husband and daughter.

All those thoughts rolled through my brain just a short while ago as I sat and peeled a grapefruit. I love how something as simple as eating a fruit can lead to worship and meditating and reflecting on God's word. The next time you do something mundane and everyday, look at it in a new light- look at it through eyes who truly see how God created everything for our pleasure, and discover a whole new world!