We have an ancient peach tree in the yard. I mean, it’s old. It was here back when my great grandfather lived here, and at one time, it bore fruit and shone in all its glory.

Now it is stooped and aged and bent, and not even pretty. It’s had a long past that includes lightning strikes, thieving bulls (long story), and broken branches.

Yet it still bears fruit.

Every year we say we’re going to cut it down, but then we see the small section of it that’s left and STILL full of peaches, and we just can’t seem to do away with the peach tree.

I kind of like that peach tree. No, the more I think about it, I really like that peach tree.

Sometimes we all feel a little stooped. Aged. Ugly. We might even have a past full of un-lovely things. Heartache, shame, sickness, pain. We may feel like our time in the light is over, and it’s time to be cut down.

But we can still bear fruit.

The One who created us will never see us as “done,” until He calls us home. And He won’t cut us down, He will simply take us there, to heaven, and our seeds, our fruit will remain.

 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)