A fruit tree had blown over in a farmers field, a man walking by saw it and asked the old farmer what he was going to do about it. The farmer replied, “You see it has fruit on the branches. I’m going to gather the fruit, and then burn the tree.”
Wow, what advice. In the book of Philippians 3:13,14, it says, “Forgetting those things that are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are before, I press toward the mark…” There are many experiences, relationships, situations in our lives that have been uprooted. Still, even in bad situations, there is always fruit to gain and gather. Every tragedy in the past has some fruit on it. Let’s use the philosophy of the old farmer. “Gather the fruit, burn the tree,” that is, take what is good from the past, but get rid of the things that will rot and bring decay to your life, burn them!
God’s design for our life is never to live with what will rot and ruin us. Always remember that in even the worst of our past, there was something good that came out of it. Grab the good, burn the bad. Don’t be controlled emotionally by the hurt, instead allow the positive emotions of the past to push you towards the present and future. Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us,” so again, gather the fruit, burn the tree.
Make sure you download my series called “Moving Life Forward” and begin your journey forward.
