The Perfect Gardener

Hello!

I recently was at a friend's house and had the privilege of picking small apples off her apple tree. It was her first "crop" and while the apples were small, I was excited to pluck them  off, one by one, and put them in my very old European potato harvest basket. (I am sure apples will work just as well in it as potatoes.)

The apples aren't quite sweet enough on their own (some are, but only a few), so I will most likely cut them up and either sugar them and freeze them or maybe make several apple pies. I will let you know.

But having spent some time last week with my two friends, Anne and Debra, and having a day with my camera at the classic car show, I was inspired by my time spent with Anne and I shooting together and just wasn't ready to put my camera away. When I got home after my apple picking, I put them on my table, as it was late in the day with just a little sun left. I got out my camera and played with all sorts of settings on my camera and thought I would share with you my images. No tripod, just faded light, and playing with around with some camera settings. 

Nothing says summer than a really fresh apple. As I set up the apples on the table and admired the natural light on them, as the sun was leaving the sky for the day... I was lost in my thoughts, as I turned an apple this way and then that way in the light...

I realized after a bit, I was absent-mindlingly looking for the "unique" apples. Something a little quirky. Digging in my wire basket, happily, I found a "runt" stuck in the between two grown apples. I hadn't noticed it when I plucked out of the tree.

I looked up the word "runt" on the computer dictionary and it basically says, in addition to the smallest animal in a litter, it is also: "A derogatory term, weak person."

I didn't think that term fitted this beautiful little apple, nor many circumstances in which we may refer to as a "runt." 

At times in my life, I have felt like the "runt." Weak. Not important. Maybe "plucked" too soon to really do any good. I think most have felt this way at one time or another.

But as I turn each apple into the light and "pose" it for the photo, I realize something...

I personally hand-picked these myself. So how could any of these little apples be but anything but perfect? No runts in this batch, if I had any say about it. 

And if little ole me can do a good job and hand-pick perfect apples, then just think what a perfect job our creator, Christ, did when he hand-picked you (us). 

Then it stands to reason that if a perfect Christ does a perfect job in handpicking us...then that can only mean one thing...

...we are perfect just the way we are. 

And in His eyes we are because we belong to Him, and that is good enough for Him.

May you always know you are important and loved. May you know that you were hand-selected because you are one-of-a-kind and never let anyone make you feel any different. 

If you doubt me, let me ask you this...have you ever seen a flower garden in full bloom? Are there two flowers exactly alike in that beautiful garden? And as you walk by to admire that beautiful flower garden, are you more likely bend down and pluck a flower and enjoy the wonderful fragrance? Or would you ignore the beauty and just point at a flower and criticize its petals?

Exactly.

And God is the perfect gardener...

I hope you enjoyed the images as much as I enjoyed taking them. 

From my house to your house,