Bruised apples have good seeds!

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—

A young boy’s father gave him a bright red apple to take to school with his lunch. The boy placed the apple in his brown lunch sack, threw the sack into his backpack, and ran off to board the school bus.

During the coarse of the day, the apple tumbled around in the lunch sack. When it was time for lunch, the boy pulled the apple eagerly from his bag. When the boy saw the apple, his happy feelings immediately deflated. The apple, once brilliantly red and round, was now misshapen and covered with dark bruises. 

Disappointed, the boy slid the apple back into his lunch sack and tried to forget about it.

When the boy arrived home from school, he carried the bruised apple to his father. With tears in his eyes, the boy lamented over the demise of the apple’s beauty. The father then took the apple, sliced it in half, and handed it back to his son. He said, “ Son, the life of your apple is not over because inside of it are seeds that will make fresh new apples.”

Think about this. People are like the little boy’s apple. Life gives them bumps and bruises over time. Life experiences can make an individual feel worthless. Even worse, other people will cast someone off if they are too battered and misshapen for their liking.

Yet, there is hope! When you accept Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit plants a seed of regeneration inside of you. You will face hard days. Friends and family will turn their back on you. But you will not pass away. 

The Holy Spirit will give you the power to rejuvenate and flourish once more. Bruises will heal, true companions will return, and your God always lives. He gives beauty for ashes and a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness! (Isaiah 61:3)

Be encouraged – you may feel down, but the healthy lady at the opera isn’t about to hit her high notes. You have an encore performance coming soon. Plant yourself in Christ and allow him to not only renew you, but also help you encourage others to be renewed.