I waved the eager fruit flys off of the apple on my counter. I wasn’t able to see from that angle why the flys were so attracted to the fruit. It looked healthy to me, no rotten spots or bruises. As I rolled the ripe apple around in a circle on my countertop I noticed immediately a gaping toddler sized bite out of one side.
Undoubtably our one year old took a healthy bite before our bedtime routine. At least this time it wasn’t Mommas chocolate stash from 13 Easters ago. That candy is valuable and hidden for my desperate moments. That includes anytime that is not expectable to drink wine, and every day. And yesterday.
Slightly proud and slightly annoyed that my baby took a bite of apple and had the idea to put it back onto the counter, instead of her usual .. Which is the floor, I was flooded with a revelation about myself, and people that I have ministered to. Loved on and prayed for .
The apple appeared to be completely healthy from my view. Meaning often in my life and others we appear to have it all together. No hindering wounds that result in festering. A smile can be the most deceiving form of flattery and knowledge of a persons day and their inner most thoughts . We appear in tact , when in fact if you really look hard , turn us around you will find a bite sized hole that needs mending.
When we leave those wounds alone , hoping they will mend on their own we invite infection. Meaning , just as the apple invited fruit flys to devour the bite, we as Christians need to also be aware of what wounds we leave open , ready for trouble.
Wounds can lead to deceptive thought patterns, and hurt in our relationships. Without realizing how our wounds deeply affect our whole being, we leave them open and unattended. We walk around also unaware of others wounds, because if we cannot see our own, how in the world will we begin to love and effectively pray for others wounds?
You cannot be in ministry , and it not completely drain you without the Holy spirits direction over your prayers. When you are approached with a prayer that seems so heart breaking, so over your head, there is still hope. Even in our groaning he knows our hearts prayers. It’s not our jobs to mend the wounds, that is Gods job. But it is our responsibility as brothers and sisters in Christ to help others ( during ministry time, only in an encouraging way ) to call out past wounds and teach others how to mend them with his spirit.
More than half of illnesses today, strongholds and sins are a result of a deep wound that was never mended. I see this more and more , which gives me more boldness to call them out. Call forth truth over people.
We are not our wounds. We are not our sins. We can be set Free. Our destiny in the kingdom of God will always remain. It’s just our job to get so connected to his spirit, that we end up doing his will for our lives.
So today if you are letting an old wound fester, give it to him. Ask someone for prayer, ask me for prayer for healing of you heart. I would be happy to pray for you. When we examine our whole ” shell of an apple” through Gods spirit , he will reveal what we need to let go of. Who we need to forgive in order to move on victoriously.
Don’t just leave the overall healthy apple on the counter with just one bite removed. Take it, clean it up and cut off the rotten bite. There’s more to that apple than the bad part. There’s much much more to be eaten and much much more nutrition to be had.
