During our holiday in British Columbia in July, we were able to go to a U-Pick farm and pick berries. Strawberry season was finished, and blueberry picking would be in another week. So, we picked raspberries.
I have good memories as a young girl of going to a friend's farm in central Saskatchewan where they had two LOOONG rows of raspberries. We would go out and pick and eat as many berries as we wanted - and fresh rhubarb also!
It was fun to take the girls and have them experience something that I did as a child. They really enjoyed the experience, eating many, many berries along the way. We picked 5 buckets full!
As we walked down the rows I started to realize that the best berries were down below eyesight, hidden within the bushes. If I got on my knees and looked up under the leaves, I could find them, often in big bunches. They were the biggest and plumpest!
Of course there is a parallel to the Christian life, as with many things in nature.
We also grow the best when hidden from view, staying firmly planted near the roots. Free from trying to prove ourselves as "the best" for all to see, yet maintaining a secret and consistent connection with our Father, allows us to receive our sustenance from the vine, not from the praise of others. We don't burn out by trying to please everyone, but in the shadows of God's wings (or leaves) we can grow to maturity. We are not plucked for service before we are ready.
I was so grateful to God for revealing this life lesson to me through the humble raspberry. I thank Him for always teaching me new things about a life lived in Him.