Be a Peach Tree

Lately I've been puzzled and a bit disturbed by some friends and other folks who are apparently very concerned about "doing enough" to be thought worthy of God, and to be sure of reaching heaven. Sometimes they smile sheepishly and say, "I don't think I've done enough to balance the books for entrance to heaven," or they say , in a semi-serious voice, "I'm not sure the good things I do are enough to get me through the pearly gates."

But these same dear friends will quickly avow, when asked if they are Christians that "Yes, I am. I have trusted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and I believe that He died on the Cross for my sins so that I may have eternal life."

Well, that pretty much settles things, doesn't it? We can confidently say "I am, You are, He/She is a Christian. But then sometimes we change the verb form and say something like this: I GO to church every Sunday, morning and night," or "I SING in the choir on Sunday morning," or I GAVE my tithe faithfully all last year, or I HELPED a poor street person to find a place to sleep," or I READ the whole Bible last year," or "I GET UP AND PRAY every morning at 6:00 a.m," or "Bless me, I TEACH a Sunday School class of ten year old boys." And doesn't that in a way suggest that we are DOING THINGS so that we might be acceptable to God and attain heaven? Could that be possible?

And before I am completely misunderstood, let me say that these are all good things that we very probably should be doing. But the problem arises when we begin to think that we MUST DO THESE, OR SIMILAR THINGS, if we are Christian; that, in fact, unless we DO GOOD THINGS, we may not make it to heaven! And if we are not careful, we will rachet up our DOING to the point that we are tired, weary, restless, worn out by our efforts, and still worried that we are not DOING ENOUGH. Our religious faith has become a burden.

Okay, so what does all this have to do with the title of this diatribe which is: Be a Peach Tree? I'm using the peach tree as an analogy to try and emphasize its likeness, at least in a few ways, to a Christian.

A peach tree doesn't become a tree until something happens to it; neither do I become a Christian until something happens to me. The peach tree, at first, is simply a lowly seed. And as a seed it will change only if it is planted in the ground. It doesn't turn the soil, prepare a row bed, or pick itself up and plant itself there, a good farmer does that. We do not, by our efforts, become a Christian, all of that work is done by a good and loving God.

Then the peach tree receives rain and sun from outside itself and growth begins. The winds may come and the storms blow, but the rain and sun and the soil have worked their miracle and its roots are strong and the peach tree stands. Finally, after time, that which a peach tree IS shows itself in a bloom and then a beautiful fruit. It has produced a peach because it IS a peach tree! AND IT HAS DONE NOTHING BUT BE A PEACH TREE!

AND SO IT IS WITH BEING A CHRISTIAN. That is what I AM, that is what YOU ARE, that is what SHE IS. And if that is what we ARE, it will not be long until a blossom and then a fruit will be the result of our being a Christian. We will just stand there, wherever we are, whatever is happening, JUST BEING A CHRISTIAN. Jesus tried to explain it by saying that we (Christians) ARE salt, we ARE light. Paul emphasised what we ARE when he said to the Galatian church that, "the fruit of the Spirit is love,joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulnes, gentleness and self-control." The point is I cannot DO love, DO joy, DO peace, DO patience, DO kindness, DO goodness, DO faithfulness, DO gentleness, DO self-control. But I can BE loving, joyful,peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, self-controlled.

I know what you are saying: The analogy is good as far as it goes, but it doesn't deal with the reality of the human will, choice, etc. etc. etc. and you are right, But an analogy can do only so much. And if it helps me to understand a spiritual reality, that's good enough for me.

And from now on, when I see a peach tree I will remember that what it is doing is just BEING a peach tree. And I will remember that what I am doing, and all I have to do, is just BE a Christian.

And so --- good night!