The Lemon Tree

Have I told you about my lemon tree?  When we moved into our new home last March some friends gave us a small lemon tree as a gift. It was about 24 inches tall.  I planted it and began to nurture it with care.    

            It has been remarkable to watch that tree over the last ten months.  By May it had several blossoms. By August there appeared seven lemons.  They all grew and we harvested them just prior to Christmas.  My wife made me a lemon pie for Christmas Eve dinner.  And it only took the juice from one lemon.

            In the meantime, the tree never grew.  Oh, maybe a little. It’s about 25 inches tall. But in late November, under the burden of those seven lemons, even propped up by a tomato cage, the poor little tree stood only 20 inches tall.  I called it my, “Charlie Brown lemon tree.”

            Back in the fall I was talking about my little tree and its fruit to some different friends who have several citrus trees. “Oh, you probably should have pinched off those blossoms the first year so that the tree itself would grow.”  I asked if I should do that to the lemons and was advised to let them mature. But next year it might be necessary to encourage the growth of the tree itself. 

            The truth is that the fruit on that little lemon tree almost broke the tree.  It wasn’t strong enough to bear them. Without the tomato cage the entire tree would have sagged.  Branches might have broken. 

            There are so many lessons for us in this story that I could probably write several columns. But I want to focus on one major thought.  You must have a proper foundation in order to grow in your faith.  At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7) Jesus spoke about the two men who built houses, one on sand and the other on the rock.  Only one house was able to withstand the storm. 

            You need to build your life on a strong foundation.  That foundation is Jesus Himself.  He will sustain you. He will strengthen you. He will bring you through the inevitable storms of life. Be sure to trust in Him, to lean on Him, and He will carry you.  You can count on Him.