Thursday, January 3, 2019

Divine Designs

“Can you help me cut up some fruit for a fruit salad?” my mom asks. She’s making lunch, and her hands are full.

I nod and set down the book I’m reading.

“I bought a lot of fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, a pineapple, and a pomegranate.”

 I cringe at the last word. “I will slice or dice anything you ask me to, but please don’t ask me to peel a pomegranate. My last attempt involved red spray, a white shirt, and prying little seeds out one by one.”

“You must have cut it wrong,” she says. “Maybe Google it?”

I do a quick search and find simple instructions: Cut off the top and the bottom, then cut down along the segment lines.

“I didn’t even know pomegranates were segmented,” I say. “I thought the seeds grew randomly.”

I cut off the ends of the pomegranate, then look down at it. I can see bright white lines stretching from the center to the rind. They outline six dark red segments. I cut along the lines, remove a segment, and hold it up.

Dozens of seeds are pressed together. Each is tiny, transparent, and filled with liquid. They catch the light and seem to hold it captive inside. I hold the segment over a bowl, then bend it back.

The seeds separate instantly and fall into the bowl. They make a muffled noise as they hit the ceramic.

“This is crazy. I was trying way too hard last time.”

“Isn’t it amazing that God designed that fruit to come apart in such an organized way.”

Her words make me think about my relationship with God. When I fight God, when I try to impose my own order on my life, things become messy and difficult. I’m unhappy. My life becomes disorganized.

But when I submit myself to Him, when I place Him in a position of control, things are much smoother.  He leads me according to His designs. And I can confidently follow the pattern He sets before me.

The bowl is full of seeds now. The rind is completely empty.

“Glad you didn’t just cut into it?” my mom asks.

"Yes. God's design works much better than my own."

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