It's How You Pick Them

At one time, when you were hungry, you went outside and picked something to eat. If you wanted it, you grew it. That doesn’t happen too often anymore. In the last house we lived in, we were blessed with a neighbour who decided to block the view to our home with three wonderful peach trees. They planned this by planting three different varieties and they ripened one after the other. We just walked out on our driveway and picked them. Every morning before getting in the car to go to work, I would pick five or so. It was wonderful.
Today is much different. Most of our children don’t grow fruit and vegetables anymore. The way they pick their fruits and vegetables is to go to the produce section of the grocery store and pick what someone else has grown and picked. Don’t get me wrong. It’s great that not just our children but ourselves as well include purchasing this important part of their diet. We all need a balanced diet. In that include produce, grains, meat and of course, chocolate.
And it’s wonderful that we live in a society where we can just go to the store and buy it. I don’t think I could raise chickens here in the city let alone, get one ready for the oven. But then again, we all need to do what we need to do.
I believe there will be a day when we need to raise our own food again. Just have that feeling. We started doing a little of that this year by planting eight tomato plants. And this past weekend, we picked our first tomato. Hopefully there are more to come, but not too much off of the plants I neglected to water. Which meant, I have been at the store, standing by the display of tomatoes, picking the best ones. As I look around, there are lots of people doing the same by picking the best one.
While standing there surrounded by all the fruits and vegetables, I though of you and me, of all of us, being picked by God. We read about that in 1 Thessalonians 1:4 “For we know, brothers and sisters, loved by God, that he has chosen you.” 
I’m not the best tomato in the field, or on the pile at the store, but I’ve been picked by God.
And that is something wonderful to think about.
Rob