“They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green …” Psalm 92:14

There’s an old pear tree at the end of our road that is gnarled and twisted. The rough bark is peeling and the branches are fragile. The ground beneath is littered with twigs and leaves that have fallen from its ancient branches. We’ve had an odd winter: cold weather one day, hot the next. Last week we had sunshine, rain, hail and two inches of snow all in one day. They say if you don’t like the weather in South Carolina, just stick around five minutes and it will change.

The odd weather has been rough on many of the trees on our property through the years. One year we lost lots of little pines that were so full of ice, the tops bent over and snapped off. A few old oaks toppled over, roots and all, because there wasn’t enough rainfall. But in spite of all the destruction around it, that old pear tree still stands. In fact, it is covered in buds every year. Those delicate pink-tinged blossoms announce that Spring is really here.

God created seasons so that life would continue. Plants need rain, sun and even space in order to bud, flower and bear fruit. We have seasons in our life as well. When we think that we’ve reached the fall or winter of our life, God can still use us. We can still bear fruit.

We must available for him to work in our lives. If we’re too busy, when hard times come – just like the ice and wind – we snap in two. If we don’t get enough spiritual nourishment, we’ll topple over from the weight of our problems. But if we remain steady, lifting our branches to the one who made us, he’ll continue to care for us and allow us to bear fruit.

Have you ever reached a point where you felt old and withered like that pear tree? Did you know that God could still use you to bear fruit? There’s always someone who needs a cheery call, a sweet note, or a heartfelt prayer. All you have to do is stand there and wait for him.

~*~

Angie Arndt was a corporate trainer before health issues sidelined her. She’s writing a contemporary women’s fiction series set in the South. Coincidentally, she and her husband live in the middle of a big wood outside a small town in South Carolina. She’s a team member of Seriously Write and represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary Agency. She’d love for you to visit her at her website, http://www.angelaarndt.com or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.