Winter . . . for the gymrat, that may signal bulking season. For the skiier or the snowboarder, that may signal a time to “shred.” In a more serious context, that may indicate a time of fruitlessness or loneliness. In any case, we should optimistically view it as a time of preparation for what is to come. There is no spring without winter, and there is no reaping without sowing. An apple tree in winter, yielding no fruit, is still an apple tree. By extension, the seeds of the tree have remained true.
“AN APPLE TREE IN WINTER, BEARING NO FRUIT, IS STILL AN APPLE TREE.”
In the Garden, God made His promise: that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). The promise is good. Therefore, the seed is good, the tree is good, and the fruit is good. The seed of the woman, our Lord Jesus, was born of the Virgin Mary. He is the fulfillment of the good promise, producing the good seed, the good trees, and the good fruit. Now he gives that goodness to us by grace as he restores creation (Revelation 21:1-5). In Adam, we are dead in sin. On the contrary, in Christ, we are redeemed (Romans 5:15). The seeds of Christ are given to us as a free gift, so that the good seeds are now ours. Since the seeds are good, the tree will be good. Since the tree is good, the fruit will be good also (Matthew 7:17-18). Dear friends, let the good fruit that we bear in our lives be the reflection of the good seed that Christ has given us through faith in Him.
Although it is physically summertime as I write this, the periods of winter that can envelope our souls don’t have time contraints. You may feel fruitless or lonely in your education, in your work, or in your faith, as you face your bleak midwinter. Even so, you can rest assured that an apple tree in winter is still an apple tree. This is a time of preparation and pruning. There is still good fruit to bear.
