apple picking

May 29, 2007

on sunday, i was at dominion doing my grocery shopping. i've been going there every sunday for the past eight months or so. every sunday, it's the same routine. i get out of my car, put in my headphones, turn on some worship music, grab a cart and go through my shopping list. i always get the same types of items.

when i was picking apples, it dawned on me that picking apples in and of itself was really quite a privilege. i had been purchasing apples for the past eight months and it never occurred to me how blessed i was to do that. it didn't occur to me that not everyone had a choice like i did.

picking apples is quite a process. you need to pick it up, examine it for bruises, cuts, discoloration, and firmness. it takes a bit of time if you're buying a bunch of apples. and the purpose of all? to avoid the bad apples. nobody wants to purchase a bad apple. nobody wants to sink their teeth into something rotten, something that's been infiltrated by worms, something that tastes bad... do they? would they?

God was showing me how fortunate i was to be able to make that choice. i could accept if i wanted one apple over another. i've put back dozens and dozens of apples because i didn't feel they were good enough to purchase. what luxury! not everyone is fortunate to have that choice. some people would take any apple they could get. there are people all over the world that die from starvation everyday. the numbers are staggering. if they saw an apple, they'd eat it. they wouldn't think twice if it was good enough to eat?i doubt the thought would even enter their mind.

as the Lord continued to speak to me, i felt very humbled and incredibly grateful. why was it that i had this luxury of choosing apples? i can't say i understand it because i don't. i don't understand why i over the next person have this privilege. all i know is that i'm grateful and i don't want to take this for granted. i feel that with this privilege comes great responsibility too though i don't know exactly what that responsibility is yet... maybe to speak up about it?

as Christians, we need to remember that the money we have is not for us; it's for God. He entrusted these resources to us?we are the stewards of it! let us make choices and decisions that reflect that calling. let's live a life that reflects that our lives are not about us, but about Him.

Posted by Leo Chan at May 29, 2007 2:44 PM