Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: COLOR (07/30/20)
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TITLE: Tomatoes | Previous Challenge Entry
By Chiazo Obiudu
08/06/20 -
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ADD TO MY FAVORITES
The sight of those tiny, yellow flowers filled me with excitement. It was such a relief. I was doing something right after all; I had been worried that my first attempt at growing tomatoes in an old baby bathtub had failed. But those flowers were partial testament to my success.
Each morning, I would go to my little garden, looking out for new flowers. The bright yellow in the midst of so much green was very heart-warming. I love yellow, perhaps because it is the color of the sun. I recently adopted a new hobby of taking snapshots of the setting sun, and each time, I found the vibrant colors of the evening sky simply breath-taking.
Dull Green
But there have been times in my life when all seemed dull and grey. The flowers lost their brilliant colors, the sun lost its sparkle and food was tasteless. Those had been times of loss, deep grief and mourning that words couldn't describe. Those days, I lost my sleep and the nights seemed to go on forever.
I had many questions.
"Why? Why me?"
"When? When will this end?"
"What can I do to fix this, to stop this hurting?"
I didn't really get the answers I sought. But with time, as I allowed the Holy Spirit to do His work, slowly, surely, the grey clouds started lifting. Food was sweet and sour, salty and savoury, once again. The sun was its brilliant yellow, once again. And the flowers regained their colors, once again.
Just like the yellow flowers of my tomato plant. Except, they are not all yellow now. And they are not all flowers. I have counted one, two, small dull green fruits!!
Bright Red
After months of hard and occasionally dirty work, I finally had fruits. The thought that immediately crossed my mind when I first saw them was, "This is just like having a baby."
Well, maybe not exactly. After three full term babies and very painful labors, I know that seeing the first tiny tomato fruits in my baby bathtub garden, (after five months of a little TLC, watering and manuring), is not exactly like carrying and pushing out a baby. But I was overjoyed, nonetheless.
And in seeing those fruits, I gained some insight into why sometimes, we have to go through hard and messy situations, why we experience bland, grey, colorless or even downright pitch-black seasons. These seasons are like the period of pregnancy, when something is growing within. Those periods are often quite uncomfortable, can be difficult and sometimes, even messy. But finally it culminates with the birthing. Sometimes we birth babies, other times we get tomato fruits, while on other occasions we gain the lasting fruits of patience and perseverance, true peace and pure joy.
Because, let's face it, that is the stuff that really matters in both the short and long run. Fruits, lasting fruits that bless us and others. When the flowers fade and the fruits start showing and growing, then it can be said that we have truly attained maturity and are ready to be harvested and enjoyed, like bright red tomatoes.
Genesis 1: 28a - And God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful…
Galatians 5: 22- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.
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