Red and Green

Red and green is everywhere. It's Christmas. And it reminds me of how long it will be until I taste a real vine-ripened tomato again! The fake ones in the store just aren't the same. It also reminds me of what I call the ripe fruit principle.

Imagine you have two patches of tomatoes. The first patch was planted 15 days earlier than the second. Now anyone who has ever grown them knows when it's June it seems like the tomatoes will never turn red. You want that first ripe tomato so everyday you go and poke around in the second patch. But everything is still green. No matter how much you dig around the plant and provide the right conditions, it's still going to take anywhere from 60-90 days until harvest. You can fret over the green tomatoes but there are laws of the harvest and no amount of fretting will make a difference. You need to go where the tomatoes are ripe.

Sometimes I spend too much time fretting over someone who just needs more time on the vine. I can pray, hope and worry. I can make it about me: "What am I doing wrong? What's wrong with my leadership?" When sometimes, it's not about me at all. It's about them.

My time would be better spent looking for the ripe tomatoes.

• "But they have so much talent!" Yes, but they aren't ready.
• "But I love them!" Yes, but they aren't ready to receive your love.
• "But they have money and that could help the cause here." Yes, but they aren't ready to turn lose of it.
• "But I know I could help them!" Yes, but they aren't ripe enough to hear it.

There's someone who is ready to say yes, ready to hear the gospel; someone who is hungry for wisdom...now. Around you, there is someone who is ripe for harvest, for leadership or even for friendship. They may not be as pretty, as smart, as talented or as likeable. But don't fret over the green tomatoes. Just go for the ripe ones today.