At the end of my morning prayer walk, I sat on the bank of a small river next to the slums in Kathmandu, Nepal, mesmerized by the grimy water. I couldn’t help but become overwhelmed by how different my life is compared to these people’s. Gazing at the trash, chicken feathers and guts undulating through the polluted water, I reflected on how disgruntled I become when my coffee isn’t the right temperature at Starbucks, while these children are elated chasing chickens and playing soccer barefooted in the slums; or how I magically turn into a bridge troll when someone uses all the hot water, while these people have a well, but the water isn’t even clean enough to drink.
While trying to process all these thoughts racing through my head, I had a chat with Dad about how grungy my Americanized heart has become. I had a vision during worship not too long ago about the condition of my heart. It was still recognizable as a heart however, it had black tar bubbling out of the top of it. More on that in my next blog in the “Intimacy Series” called, “Purity is Found in Intimacy with God.” Cliffhanger, haha. As I continued studying the water, praying, and processing, I started to give up hope that anything good or beautiful could come out of this river. Soon after, I noticed a small pile of trash upstream, which created a hitch in the flow. Out of this disturbance popped up a, bright yellow fruit, roughly the size of a mango.
The delicious looking fruit only stayed afloat for a second or two until it was sucked back under the sullied water. I felt a twinge of anxiety and wonder as to whether the beautiful fruit was going to come back up or not. When it bobbed back up to the surface for a second or so, relief washed over me until it sunk back into the murky current. Angst. Alas, a few seconds later, the fruit wobbled back up to the surface. Relief. I didn’t know why, but I felt as though the hero of a movie was just struck down in a bloody, back and forth battle. Weaponless, the warrior glares bravely into his enemies eyes, ready to meet the impending blade of his foe. When suddenly, an arrow, shot by our hero’s trusty side kick, whom we thought died long ago, splits the face of the arch villain, securing victory for the good guys. My eyes stayed fixed on the fruit as it continued on it’s journey down the river, out of sight. I continued meditating on the bright yellow skin until my thought vortex was interrupted by my squamates yelling my name for the fourth time. I snapped back into reality and continued back to the house for lunch.
As I began to process, I realized the floating piece of fruit is what we are called to be. Let me explain. In John 17:15-18, on the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus pleads with the Father for our souls.
“I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.” (NLT)
We are supposed to be like the ripe piece of fruit floating through the dirty river. No matter how many times it is sucked under by the current, or how many pieces of trash it becomes entangled with, the skin of that fruit stays bright and protects the tasty flesh on the inside. No matter how gross and polluted that water becomes, if I pulled the fruit out and peeled it, I would find ripe, delicious, sweet, ready to eat fruit on the inside. In the same way, no matter how dark our circumstances become, or how much sin is around us, we are supposed to stay unpolluted by the world.
In order to do that efficiently, we have to retrain our subconscious to work according to the Word of God so we can quickly recognize when we have slipped onto the wrong path. This happens by the renewal of our minds and washing our decision makers with the water of the Word.
We are called to be a light in the darkness, to bring beauty to the places where sin has distorted the Father’s original design. We have been commissioned to speak life into the places where all hope seems to be lost. There is no room for pollution in that mission.
So, as is tradition, I will leave you with some questions or a challenge. Sticking to the theme of this object lesson, is there a hole in your fruit skin? Is there a place in your life that is tarnished by this world? As I asked in my last blog, “Digital Dope,” do you have accountability in that area? Or are you “ok” with that specific sin in your life? Finally, are you willing to take the steps necessary to walk in truth and freedom so you can be the disciple and witness whom God has called you to be?
I only ask you these questions because I am asking them to myself. I am not trying to condemn anyone. I simply want you to learn as I am learning. Thanks for reading, Love y’all.
