Day 25: The Fruitful Wife {and Son}

"Mommy, I was looking out the window just now and the beautiful snow reminded me of God's creation..." he squeaks in his sweet, baby voice.

I haven't had my coffee and I'm barely awake. But this. This woke me up faster than a cup 'o joe.

"Yes?"

"And I was thinking about the Garden of Eden and wondering...Where do you think the tree of life is now? I'm thinking that God probably moved it after Adam sinned, and it's probably in heaven waiting for us when we get there..."

Really? This child of mine who I play tug of war with in the mornings just to get him going? He's talking theology over a bowl of Crackling Oat Bran?! To be sure, many mornings start with an unhealthy dose of whining and complaining and meaningless conversation. This morning is different.

"Those are great questions. I'm glad you're thinking, and God's stirring something in your heart."

But I'm looking at the barren tree and what's stirring in my heart is something different.

This lifeless tree is sometimes a picture of my life and heart. Cold. Dead. Fruitless.

Except for when I'm connected and rooted to the source of life. But for the grace of God, I know I can't muster up fruit on my own.

Does the apple speak to her tree and say, "Produce!"

Does the peach shout to her branches, "Grow!"

Does the grape command her vine, "Make fruit!"

And fruit. It's more of what I need. More than the recommended four servings a day. I need Jesus fruit to really live.

But I can't make it on my own. Like the apple, the peach, and the grape, I can only cling to my Source. Trust. Pray. Abide.

God, the Master Gardener, in His infinite grace, must grow the fruit. I can't. {The fruit I try to grow on my own barely resembles a fruit roll-up. Pure imitation.}

A pile of books is scattered next to my bed. Buried under a stack, I pull out one I'd almost forgotten. Crossway was kind enough to send me this sneak peak of a book a few months ago. I remember first reading the intro of The Fruitful Wife and thinking to myself, "This book is for me."

It's not just another "try harder, do better" wife-kind-of-book. It's food for the soul and the healthy dose of truth that my heart needs. Every day.

Author Hayley DiMarco writes in her introduction,
"The reason that The Fruitful Wife came into being is that without abiding in Christ by being mindful, without the knowledge of the nature of God and the fruit of His Spirit, we are less likely to respond to the circumstances of life with spiritual fruitfulness, regardless of how much we say we love him, beg him, or trust him. It is because of her lack of knowledge of who God is and what he's done that the believing woman finds it so hard to abide and trust in Christ and so to develop the fruit of the Spirit in her life. As we abide, we come to know more about him and His Word, and as this mindfulness grows, so does fruitfulness."

This fruit of the Spirit. This fruit. This is health and life.

{For more of a taste of what her book offers, see this clip}

The Fruitful Wife: Cultivating a Love Only God Can Produce from Crossway on Vimeo.

"You know," I respond to my boy. "I just wonder if that tree of life is really Jesus. And if we're connected to Jesus, my son, then it's living in our hearts. And if He's living in our hearts, than we'll grow Jesus fruit. And we won't have to wait until heaven."

Good words for him. Better words for me.

{Anyone interested in reading this book, The Fruitful Wife, with me and having a virtual book club? Just a thought...}

I'm writing for 31 days of {Healthy} Living this month.

Join me and let's LIVE! Check out the end of Day 1 for the link to all the posts.