Preserving

Our garden has just about run its course for the year. The tomatoes are dwindling, the peppers are coming along slower, and the cucumbers are all but done. We reaped a bounty this year. We’ve preserved multiple turns of pickles, and a turn or two of tomatoes. Peaches will be next. I was reminded of this blog from several years ago in which I explored the preservation process:

It’s that time of year, again.  I feel like I say that often.  Maybe because the years roll round, faster and faster, and it’s always – that time of year, again.  Well, this time of year I’m talking about is preserving time.  You know, plant it, grow it, pluck it, preserve it, all in preparation for the winter months to come.  Preserving is not such a thing anymore.  We usually rely on Del Monte, Green Giant, or more and more the store brands of those to plant it, grow it, pluck it and preserve it for us.  Then, they happily sell it and we buy it at a high price.

In the past we have preserved things by freezing them, but this year we tried canning.  Tomatoes first, and recently peaches.  The peaches are fantastic this year and we thought wouldn’t it be great to have that yummy, fresh, goodness to remind us in winter that spring will come?  The canning process is a little time consuming, and a good bit messy, but so worth it.

We first prepared the fruit by dropping the peach in a pot of boiling water for one minute. It’s called blanching.  Pull it out and place it in an ice water bath.  This is done so that you can easily remove the skin.  You need to get past the tough outer peal and the messy fuzz to get to the goodness.  After blanching the skin slides right off and you can see the yellow beautiful flesh of the peach.  After removing the skin, we removed the pit that old timers called the stone. Interestingly enough we found an almond in the pit of our peach. Well, not actually an almond, but a nut that looks exactly like an almond, skin and all.  I was amazed.  After a little research I found that edible almonds really do come from almond trees and that this little nut was not really an almond, it just looked like one.  In fact, this little nut contains a low dose of cyanide.  Yep, the stuff that kills.

Getting rid of the fuzz, the skin, the pit, and the nut of a peach leaves you with the super juicy, yummy fruit of the peach.  Much like us, right?

You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48 (Amplified Bible)

Well nobody’s perfect except Jesus.  But, isn’t Matthew telling us here that’s what we’re working toward?  We are to be like our Heavenly Father, right?  We know that none of us are perfect, no not one, but that does not mean we’re not to be moving in that direction, the sanctification direction.  Sanctification is just a big word for becoming more holy, more like Jesus.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well.  Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have already attained.

Philippians 3:12-16

Sanctification is a process, just like preserving.  We must blanche, defuzz, toss the pit, and be wary of the poison.  How do we do that?

Make it your practice, each of you, to review your character – take it in relation to life, to your dear ones, your household, friends, acquaintances, your country, your work.

See where I, in the same relation or circumstances or situation, should act differently.  Plan how best such and such a fault can be eradicated, or such and such sin, mistake, or omission, be avoided.

A weekly review at least you must have.

God Calling, by Two Listeners

You see, it’s always that time of year for preserving.  It’s time consuming and messy, but working toward perfection is our preservation.  After honestly examining our lives, thoughts, motives, actions, it sometimes feels like we’ve been blanched and quartered, doesn’t it?  But, if we are not taking stock of our lives regularly, and we’re just drifting through, Sunday-to-Sunday, we’re not striving for perfection.  If we are not spending daily time with the Lord, seeking his ways and acknowledging Him, our paths will not be clear.  If we’re relying on others to do the preserving for us, we’re going to pay a high price.