I am no farmer. I am basically a city girl as I have never lived in the country. In fact, I know very little about farming, even to this day… although I have learned a whole lot about it over the years from casual practice. And I know I do not have ‘green fingers’. But I adore farming…(Check out my Conversion Testimony for more on this). But then again, maybe I should change that to: I adore the concept and practice of farming. Fact is, I never did much of it, and neither do I relish the thought of doing so today because I simply no longer have the energy to do so. Yes, shame on me. But you have to give it to me; before I got to this stage, I did put my energy where my heart was.
True, it was only a vegetable garden around my house at the time. Nevertheless, I take special pride in the fact that I personally planted a variety of crops in this vegetable garden at some point, during which I became familiar with okro, sweet potatoes, cassava, and (which fool doesn’t?) maize of course, although I still find it difficult to distinguish between maize and guinea-corn till today. Add to that such crops as tomatoes and pepper, not forgetting fruit trees like pawpaw, and guava and … orange… or should I say tangerine…. or lemon… But before I explain the reason for this last enigmatic comment, let me first regale you with this anecdote.
I once espied a beautiful, elegant but delicate-looking plant in my vegetable garden. I didn’t know what it was and how it got there, but it stood so much taller than the weed we were clearing. I asked the person helping me if he knew what it was. He claimed not to know and asked if he should uproot it. I said No, took a picture of it and sent to my class forum. It would seem none of them knew what it was. But someone who knew how to google soon replied: Cannabis!!! That was a big shock to me. Please don’t not ask me how it penetrated my vegetable garden! It wasn’t me!!! I tell the truth, I lie not… and I still wonder till today how it did. Yes, I judged by outward appearance and spared it, unlike God who does not judge by outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7)! So yes, I also now know what cannabis looks like.
Well, you can imagine the amount of ribbing I got on my class forum. Some promised to come to visit me in prison! And as you may well guess, I promptly had it uprooted it. But before moving on, I really must point out that knowledge is not always power! It scares me to see cannabis growing in seemingly harmless home gardens and hedges in North America since then. I am also sometimes invaded with the odour of cannabis being smoked in homes as I take a walk on streets!!! But then what can one expect when the use of cannabis has now been legalized in many of these so-called developed countries?
Well I hope you got a smile from that anecdote before I doused it with the concern I raised. So bear with as we now go back to the main topic… what my lemon tree taught me. Get ready for more laughter.
I don’t know if I have ‘green fingers’ or not, but let me assure you that I was quite ‘green’ in the farming business at the time, although my enthusiasm and ambition made up for that lack. So following the advice of those who knew better, off I went to a roadside seedling seller to purchase an orange seedling. Note the emphasis on orange. I was very specific about the specie I wanted: the short, fast-growing type I had seen in a friend’s house before.
Somehow, to this day, I remember very clearly the words of the seedling seller as he directed one of his boys to bring ‘that orange seedling, you know, the one at…’. I thought his instructions were a bit odd at the time. I tell you the truth. I lie not. But I shook off my misgiving and went off happily with the ‘orange tree seedling’ sold to me for a pretty penny.
All on my own, I chose the spot to plant it. All by myself, I planted it by my kitchen window. I love the smell of oranges and my hope was that the tree would somehow exude something like it. I cannot recall nor claim to have done much watering, but I guess I must have done something right because the ‘orange’ tree, along with the other crops, sprouted and grew quite happily.
Two years went by and I had harvested and eaten from most of the other crops several times. However, the ‘orange’ tree, had nothing to show for its prospering size and height, already a clear proof that it was not the short specie I had requested for! Well, so I’d been taken for a ride by the seedling seller, I thought to myself, but no point crying over spilt milk. At least the ‘orange’ tree was growing and one day, I would eat of it.
Well, yet another year passed by and still no fruit. One day, as I went about my business at the kitchen sink, staring at the ‘orange’ tree from the window, the thought passed through my mind: this tree is just occupying space. Useless! Maybe I’d better cut it down. Three whole years, and no single fruit. Just getting taller and taller. Useless, I repeated again to myself. And right then, even before that thought ended, I recalled the parable of our Lord in Luke 13: 6-9! I tell the truth, I lie not. It was about a boss who had gotten tired of a fruitless fig tree that had been planted in his farm. He told his servant to cut it down but the servant pleaded with the boss to give the tree another chance, promising to give it some extra care in the hope that it would become fruitful by the next year. And the boss relented and agreed to give it one more chance. The parable ended here and we do not know the end of the story.
But remembering the parable just then brought a smile to my face. Of course I had to give my ‘orange’ tree another year! If this was not a sign, then what else could it be?!! I confess I gave the tree no special care. But I kept a close eye on it. And would you believe that indeed within the next year, I saw a little, little, what could be a lime fruit. But for me it was already an orange!! You cannot imagine how excited I was to see that little thing! Finally the tree was bearing fruit because I gave it another year, and that made it special to me. Soon I saw another little ‘orange’, and then another. And my smile grew wider and wider each time! The parable worked out well for me!
And the little ‘oranges’ grew bigger and bigger, and the bigger they grew the less their shape was consistent with an orange… And I once again recalled the very odd way the seedling-seller had instructed his boy to get the ‘orange’ seedling, at the point of purchase, and I realized I had been taken for more than one ride by an ‘expert’. Not only did he not have the short species, but he had no orange seedling either. But he was apparently to sell me something! So he had sold me, what I believed at that point to be a tangerine seedling instead!. I shrugged. More fool he. It so happens that I love tangerines just as much as oranges! No problem!
And the fruits grew bigger and bigger, but did not ripen… and the smooth rind texture became rougher and rougher… and finally, there was no longer any doubt about it, the seedling-seller had deliberately sold me ‘a lemon’ (pun intended)! Yes, it took me three years to discover that instead of the short variety of fast-growing orange tree, I had been sold a lemon tree!!! Now I had to admit: And expert had suckered me in! Where I come form, we call that 419! So the only redeeming feature of the whole business was that I had nothing against lemons either. And friends, the lemons from that tree were quite delicious. No doubt in my mind it had been grafted with tangerines. See. I was learning! So I would peel them and eat like oranges tangerines… until my teeth started feeling the effect!
And did the fruits of that lemon tree bless so many around me! Many of the people I shared my lemons with individually and severally confessed that they were much, much bigger than the very expensive lemons they bought in the local markets. Hearing that always made me so happy! Once again, God had turned the deception of a person for good to me who loves Him, and by extension to many around me so I was ultimately the winner after all!
But I must not gloss over the most important lesson learned from my lemon tree through the parable of our Lord Jesus Christ about the fruitless tree. And I must absolutely share it with you, beloved readers, in the same way I shared my lemons with my loved ones.
Some scholars say that the fruitless fig tree in the parable represented Israel, a nation specially planted by God and hedged about by His commandments in order to protect them. However, they had grown numerically and all, but by disobeying God’s commandments, they had lost all the features that made them special and separated them from the rest of the world. They had therefore become of no use to God and deserved to be cut down. And then just like Moses interceded for them in the wilderness before their nationhood was established, now Jesus interceded for them so God the Father would give them another chance.
But it very much applies to Christians as well! 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 11, for example, suggests that the events in the Old Testament, particularly the Israelites’ experiences, were recorded to serve as warnings and examples for Christians today: “These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.”. There is also 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse16 which makes it clear that: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.”
What this means is that we who call ourselves Christians today must constantly examine ourselves to determine if we are bearing the Fruit of the Spirit. If not, we too shall become useless and face the threat of being cut down. In John chapter 15, verse1 and 2, our Lord Jesus Christ’s said: “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit…
Now if you are ready to examine yourself to see if you are still in the faith, turn with me to Galatians chapter 5, verse 22 – 23 where the qualities of the Fruit of the Spirit are clearly listed out. They are:
· Love: A genuine, selfless affection and concern for others.
· Joy: A deep inner peace and happiness that is not dependent on circumstances.
· Peace: Tranquility and serenity, even amidst conflict or difficulty.
· Patience: A willingness to wait and endure, even in difficult situations.
· Kindness: A gentle and compassionate attitude towards others.
· Goodness: A desire to do what is right and ethical.
· Faithfulness: Loyalty and commitment to one’s word and promises.
· Gentleness: A mild and unassuming manner, free from harshness or arrogance.
· Self-control: The ability to manage emotions and desires, resisting impulses.
My lemon is still where I planted it till today, some 20 years later. It is still bearing good fruit, and is still blessing many… even as it continues to remind me, and teach me more lessons and more lessons about bearing fruit. I am praying this blesses you all in the same way, in Jesus’ mighty and precious Name. Amen!
That’s it for today. Another lemon tree lesson continues in part 2.
