Do you ever feel like that?
It’s a feeling that comes on days where the fruit we bear seems more rotten than beautiful. And it can go from bad to worse in an instant. In fact, if we don’t turn to God immediately, this wobble in our faith gait can quickly lead to a trip and eventually a fall.
Going to God quickly with this destructive thought is imperative. He doesn’t want the negativity to linger and infect the next fruit because if it does, a destructive cycle will blast off and be difficult to stop.
I call it the Even If… and Even Though phenomenon:
God tells us to trust him and turn over our fears and worries even if we think our fruit is rotten.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” Psalm 46:1-2
God also says we should go to him with our doubts even though we are flooded with negative thoughts.
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
God doesn’t want us to give up when we feel like a rotten apple because he can, and will, eventually help us produce a bountiful harvest.
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” John 1:12
When adversity and its fear cousin settle in for a long stay and have us feeling like a rotten apple, a common reaction is to analyze everything to “get it stopped.” That may make us feel better, but it means we haven’t turned it over to God first. It’s like we are buying the newest smart phone because we have excluded God.
God doesn’t want us to give up in the face of persistent and seemingly never-ending adversities. And he certainly does not want us to feel like a rotten apple. In fact, he wants us to buckle down even harder when circumstances challenge us over and over and over again.
We need to remember that our moments of “rottenness” do not define us. Not by any measure or means. Those negative, self-defeating thoughts are meaningless in the face of God’s amazing grace and unbounded love and never-ending mercy. That’s why we must always be looking to God for his help in destroying all of the “rotten apple negativity” coursing through our heart, mind, and soul.
Once these rotten apples are moved out of the picture, we need to ask God for his pruning and direction in order to move FORWARD with a positive mindset, all and always to his glory.
Even if…and Even though.
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