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Boricua En Linea.com - Vega Baja, Puerto Rico |
"He who plants a coconut tree, plants vessels and clothing, food and drink, a habitation for himself, and a heritage for his children." Philippine Proverb[1]
One of the joys of my childhood was going to the beach. We lived about a 15-minute drive from one of the most beautiful beaches in Puerto Rico. In those unforgettable drives I remember how I marveled at the view of the coconut palm trees. They seemed to me so tall, strong, and majestic. Do you know that there is no fruit more used and grown around the world, with more than 360 known uses, half of those being food-related, like the Coconut?[2] One of the unique things I remember about these trees is that they were seldom straight, and they could live like that for many years. I could never understand why, until I recently learned that they often lean because of strong winds and the weight of the coconuts, but amazingly, they never stop bearing fruits.
This tree reminds me of the words Jesus told His disciples in John 5:8 ““You give glory to my Father when you produce a lot of fruit and therefore show that you are my disciples.” Later in Galatians 5:22-23 Paul identified the fruit for us when he wrote, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” We are called to produce this kind of fruit regardless of the conditions around us. The winds and storms of life will move us left to right (no doubt about it), and perhaps, we might end up with a bend or a bump here and there, but remember we will be known not by how straight and tall we are standing (appearance), but by the character we demonstrate!
Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. (Matthew 7:20 NLT)
So, are you ready to be like the Coconut tree fertile and fruitful, maybe bending... but never breaking?
Lourdes
___________ Lourdes
[1] http://faculty.ucc.edu/biology-ombrello/POW/coconut_palm.htm
[2] http://www.ehow.com/about_6119254_coconut-palm-tree.html#ixzz1KfoWlips
