Winter in the Northern Hemisphere can be beautiful, as long as there’s snow on the ground and sunshine in the sky. But during those months when the sky is gray and cloudy, and when rain falls instead of snow, it can be downright depressing. Because I’ve lived for over two decades in South America, and most of our visits “up north” had been during the fall, I’d forgotten this dreary reality of life in my hometown. So you can imagine my excitement during the winter months of a year-long furlough in Ohio, when I discovered big, beautiful Peruvian mangos in our local grocery store! I felt keen disappointment, however, when I cut through the brilliant orange skin to find hard flesh that offered only a fraction of the flavor I was expecting. I’ve been spoiled by the pleasure of eating mangos that I’ve picked in the orchard; quite honestly, nothing compares to the juicy sweetness of a tree-ripened fruit. 

The contrast between Ohio’s grocery store mangos and Peru’s ripened-on-the-tree fruit paints a perfect picture of why Jesus invites us to “remain in Him” so we can bear much fruit. Peruvian farmers choose the biggest, prettiest mangos for exportation, but in order to keep them from bruising and rotting during the long trip, they pick the fruit long before it’s ripe. The mangos left to ripen on the tree are the leftovers, perhaps misshapen, too small, or not quite the perfect color. But the fact that they remain on the branches allows the fruit the necessary time to absorb extra nutrients that the plant turns into sugar, giving these mangos their mouth-watering flavor.  

Remaining in the True Vine - immersing ourselves in His word, soaking in His light, being completely saturated with His presence - gives us the time we need to fully absorb Jesus’ words, His love, His truth, His grace and peace. These are the nutrients that God turns into sweetness in our lives, and this sweetness gives off an aroma and a flavor designed to draw others to Him. 

May this pleasant aroma and delightful sweetness be, as the Apostle John says, to our Father’s glory.