Good Fruit

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit." Matthew 7:15-18

I remember, as a little girl, going out to pick blackberries. The land was owned by my parents' friends but completely overgrown. They invited us to come and take what we wanted since they had so much. My mother would dress us in long pants and long sleeve shirts and we would have to wear gloves as well. I always hated getting so covered up in the heat and sweltering on the way there. But once we were there, it made sense, the thorns being thick and determined, and I would forget the heat caught up in the pursuit of wonderful ripe berries. I also ate as much as I put in the bucket. That only seemed fair to me.

Jesus says to us to beware of false prophets that they would be obvious from their fruit. And I would like to suggest that it is hard to always know good from evil. Some pretty prickly people are often gifts from God and the smooth beauties are very dangerous and cruel. And even their early fruit can be wonderful. Only over time can we tell and even then we need divine intervention on some occasions.

For today, I want to remember that the one we should trust completely does not appear on TV, write movies or have a press agent. God alone knows the heart of each of us, and I am only called to do my best to produce good fruit by having a loving, faithful heart. May God bless us all today with the capacity to produce good fruit - the love and care of others.