Have you ever tasted a persimmon? I pass an old persimmon tree thriving in the fencerow every day as I walk my dogs. I’ve been watching and waiting for the fruit to mature for weeks. Two weeks ago, the persimmons looked ripe to me. The skin was yellow. We’d had a light frost, and the smell of decomposing leaves was on the breeze, so I plucked a round orb and studied it. Carefully, I peeled the skin off and plopped the fruit into my mouth. I spit it out faster than a fly fleeing the fly swatter. I wanted to scrape my tongue. Both of my dogs sat on their haunches and looked at me as if to say, ‘Dumb.’
I knew if I waited long enough, my reward would be sweet. Last week I picked another smooth fruit, expecting a reward. Again, my tongue blanched at the bitter taste, and I rushed to the spring to rinse my mouth.
I’ve learned that a persimmon is ripe only after the form is soft, almost mushy. Today, I picked a fruit that looked ugly, almost withered. I hesitated and studied the split skin. Should I try again? I looked down at my dogs; both were sniffing the ground for fallen fruit. I carefully, slowly, peeled back the skin and tasted the sweetness I remembered from my childhood.
Was this fleeting reward worth the bitterness I’ve suffered? Jesus may wonder the same about us. True spiritual maturity takes time, storms, peaks and valleys. My shell may be worn out and withered before my spirit is all pleasing to God.
The persimmon has a beautiful flavor when it reaches maturity. I pray that God will have the same patience with me as he did with his disciples. In the last days of Jesus’ life, they were arguing about who would be the greatest. I’m sure he sighed in disappointment as he must surely do with me. With so many people waiting to hear of Jesus’ love and forgiveness, I cringe as I consider the petty things that cause me to stumble. Like the bitter persimmon, I am still green. I pray that God will remove all bitterness and sin from my thoughts and action and replace them with love.
“You shall love the Lord your God withal your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12: 30-31
#LovetheLord #spiritualmaturity #persimmon
