Each pew held a church attendee. It seemed to me that some were withered and stick-like, while others appeared as beautiful, round, luscious looking navel oranges - Citrus sinensis. The sizes of the orange-people varied, and one or two had a few visible minor blemishes that they seemed to carry like a badge of honor. But each Navel orange conveyed the promise of a soft fruity interior filled with taste bud tantalizing flavor and enough vitamin C to strengthen an army. They had ripened over time under the rich care of professionals, fed and nurtured, cared for, placed in the sun, talked to, pandered and lovingly protected. And I felt this deep desire to take a large, long, and exceptionally sharp blade and slice every one of them open from top to bottom! Let me explain something first. A navel orange is unusual. First, it has inside a small secondary, partially formed, and undeveloped fruit at the blossom end. Then, the flesh of a navel orange is also so sweet and very, very juicy. And lastly, the Navel orange is seedless, and can only be propagated through cuttings. So why did I feel that I wanted take a blade to each? The orange, however rich inside, is surrounded with a tough rind that keeps the outside world at bay while safeguarding the treasure within. To get at the rich fruit you have to break the exterior, you have to peel, you have to cut and slice it open. So many of us in church today are Navel oranges. We drink of the waters and absorb nutrients that flood around us, storing it all up inside. And just like the Navel orange, each harbors a small undeveloped fruit inside. None have seeds, we only have nutrients to offer, and we each only exist because we are grafted into a host. God does not need seeds, only that each is grafted into himself. And then we are watered, fed, and grow in the sun to fill with delicious goodness. And we store it up. We hide it all behind our bitter rind while the land withers alongside. Will someone, anyone, please wield a sharp blade? (Interestingly, even the bitter rind can find value: thrice-boiled and it can be used to make candy!)
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Why?
Probably the best therapy is to express yourself. Why do you think psychiatrists make you lie on the couch and talk, while all they do is murmur "hmmm", "uhuh", or "go on"? Archives
May 2017
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