Seven mango trees. Four coffee trees. Two banana trees. One lemon tree. Glorious fruit trees graced our yard!   

When mango season was in full swing, we’d collect a wheelbarrow full of mangoes each day. 

Coffee beans picked from our trees and roasted over charcoal made scrumptious morning coffee. 

 Bananas became a sweet, frequent dessert. 

And the lemons! A squeeze of lemon over a slice of papaya, a squirt of lemon on our Nile perch, a zing of lemon in our tea. Lemon juice, like sunlight, brightened everything! 

Month after month the trees grew. Branches stretched to the sky, leaves multiplied, flowers blossomed, and fruit grew. Year after year, the trees bore abundant fruit that brought smiles to all who enjoyed them.  

I long to bear fruit that brings a smile! Not a fleeting smile, but a forever smile. One that lasts because it springs from a sure and certain faith in God. 

But how? How do I produce forever fruit for the Lord? How do I share my faith in such a way that others will be drawn to Jesus? How can I possibly do this when I barely speak my neighbor’s language?  

In John 15:4, we read these welcoming words of Jesus, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” 

It takes time for a mango to grow. It takes time for a language to be learned. It takes time for a faith-sharing friendship to blossom. 

Jesus warmly invites us to remain in him while studying verb tenses and new sounds and lists of vocabulary words. He graciously invites us to remain in him while practicing greetings and handshakes. He lovingly invites us to remain in him and trust his timing. 

Isn’t Jesus kind? He does not expect us to bear fruit on our own. He loves us and welcomes us to depend on him. Let’s joyfully remain in him, my friend, and trust that he will bring a bountiful harvest in due time!