A while back, I asked God to give me a deeper understanding of His Spirit. I was hungry for more of the giftedness the Bible tells us about. I was ready for a download of prophetic visions and words and supernatural moments, and instead, I started seeing pineapples.
God whispered, Let’s start with the fruit. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I was less than thrilled; I felt like He was taking me back to Sunday school instead of letting me sit with the big kids in service. After surrendering my pride (it may have been a week or two), I let Him teach me.
Pineapples take 18-32 months to grow to maturity. They need ample space, or else they will not produce and must be in a very warm, consistently sunny environment. Each plant only produces one pineapple at a time.
My vision of this plant was not an accident. God showed me that I am just like a pineapple. With His help, He will create space for me to grow, and His light will keep me at the right temperature, and feed my soul.
As my Gardener, He will prune my branches and focus on the areas He knows will help me grow to the next stage while waiting for my fruit to bloom. He is not discouraged by a long growing cycle or frustrated when it takes the full 32 months for me to bloom; He is not in a hurry. He knows the value of maturity.
The fact is, we can’t grow on our own. Rushing doesn’t work. Maturing takes time. God designed us this way. We can’t make ourselves become more kind or gentle; it’s only with His guidance that the fruit of kindness and gentleness will appear. Instead of saying, “I need to be better. Sorry, God, I will try again next time,” I try to remember to say, “I need Your help, Holy Spirit. Will You show me how?”
My anticipated Sunday school lesson ended up transforming my understanding of His Spirit. It was not a trivial lesson, but an invitation to go deeper and learn from what I thought I already knew. And I also now appreciate pineapples and those who grow them even more!
