Redemptive Ramblings

Big, iridescent green beetles buzz loudly, crashing into my hands and face as I pull figs from my tree. I’m not a fan of loud bugs or hard, crunchy bugs. But every morning for weeks each summer, I brave the beetles that live in the tree to harvest the figs I’ve grown. But why? Figs aren’t better than other fruits that come bug-free and plastic-wrapped from the farmers’ market or grocery store. So why do I go out in the August heat, the rain, the bugs? Why is this the only part of my garden that I bothered to cover with plastic during the deep freeze last winter?

The secret lies with my memory. I wasn’t older than four the first time my grandfather put me up in his fig tree. My grandpa was a Cajun fisherman and farmer. He didn’t talk a lot, but he was great at quietly doing things for and with us that made us feel loved. And one of those things was picking figs. He would pick me up and hoist me onto one of the branches, and I would scramble around, picking all the figs I could and throwing them into the five-gallon bucket he held under me. When neither of us saw any more that were ripe, he would pull me back down, and we would take the bucket of figs to a shady spot, usually the steps going up into the house. There we would sit, and he would peel them deftly with his tiny paring knife while I chattered about whatever came into my little head. The first one he peeled was always mine, for helping. Then he alternated: one for him, one for me. I don’t remember anything he said during those times together, but I remember how loved, safe, and valuable I felt sitting in the shade with my grandpa eating the figs I’d helped pick.

Memory adds color to the pictures of our life. My memories of my grandpa color the act of picking the figs off my tree with the beautiful colors of fun and love, in spite of the beetles. Our memories of the past naturally change our perception of the present and our thoughts about the future. 

This power is what God calls us to harness in Psalm 105:5: “Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.” (ESV) The dire situation I’m facing now isn’t worse than what He’s helped me through in the past. When I remember how He showed up then, those memories can color today’s problems with faith, hope, and peace. Whatever you find yourself facing today, I pray that you remember God’s past faithfulness, and that it colors your day with the peace that passes all understanding!