If you've never had a persimmon before, that's your first mistake. I first tried this fruit a few years ago when I spontaneously became a vegan for a few months. As a baby vegan who loved(and still loves) food more than you can imagine, I was desperate to find some foods that were unique and delicious. There are only so many apples and bananas you can eat until you want to throw up at the sight of them.
A persimmons aren't very popular in our part of the world and thus also rather expensive. Most Kroger employees pause during my checkout process and pick up the fruit and stare at it for an uncomfortable amount of time possibly pondering why this tomato looks so weird. Many resort to asking me what this strange creation is; others are lucky enough to find a sticker.
It is hard to find them in stores. They're often sanctioned to the specialty fruit section, if the store even carries them at all. They're also a seasonal fruit only available in the winter. It is even harder to find a plump, juicy, ripe, squishy, ready-to-eat persimmon. You see, if you buy a persimmon that is not ripe yet and try to eat it, you will spit it out immediately upon first taste. I've never had the pleasure of this experience, because I know how important it is to know how a fruit looks, feels, and smells when it is ripe. To make the mistake of eating underripe fruit can be stomach-churning. Ironically, a persimmon looks worse when it is ripe. It becomes very sensitive to bruising and feels like a really good fruit to throw at someone in a food fight. It's skin becomes chalky and spotty overall looking pretty unappetizing.
However, if you can get past the strange outer appearance and prepare the fruit properly, it will be a delicious adventure that you won't easily forget. The fruit is creamy and sweet. If it is ripe enough, it practically melts in your mouth. It's like a cooked pumpkin and a ripe tomato had a baby. It is juicy and soft and leaves you wanting more.
So, this morning I woke up earlier than I wanted to, due to stress dreams, with a headache and a feeling or dizziness. I took a relaxing hot bath and drank a bottle of water and was feeling better, but just a little hungry so I cut up my sweet persimmons to enjoy. As a disclaimer I have to say that perhaps I enjoy food more than most people or as my husband would say annoyedly, "Not everybody has make love to each bite of their food like you do." 😂😂😂
It's true not many people don't find joy in waking up early and having to process fruits only to enjoy a scant amount of something that you will still be hungry after eating. But I do. I enjoy it because I love the experience of beauty through taste. It's the same reason people work so hard to climb to the top of a mountain, or travel to remote parts of the country. It's the same reason people put their lives in danger and climb atop their roofs do hang an insane amount of Christmas lights. It's the same reason some women spend hours washing, drying, curling, grooming, and primping to get ready in the morning. It is to experience beauty. Beauty compels us.
When people experience great beauty it is often so marvelous that we glorify the object of beauty. But knowing that every good and perfect gift comes from our creator I can't help but think of Him when I experience beauty. I encounter beauty and marvel at a creator that could concieve such loveliness and then gift it to His children.
Think about creating a beautiful clay pot. Mixing the clay, spinning and carefully shaping it, baking it and painting it with delightful colors and artistry. Now think about handing that pot to your child as a gift. You can tell your child to place it only on the windowsill and not run by it too fast and knock it over, but the truth is that child has the freedom to choose how to react to that gift and ultimately what might happen to it by accident or choice. If you've ever given a gift to a child that has been under appreciated, possibly dropped on the floor and trampled in the rush to get to the next gift, then you know the risk you are taking. If you've ever spent an immense amount of money or time on something that got broken, your know the dissappointment you may face.
BUT if you've ever thought long and hard about a perfect gift and meticulously planned to spend time and money preparing that gift, braving crowded shops and scouring the internet, and you give it to someone that appreciates all the beauty and work and creativity in it. You know the joy that it can bring. It draws you closer to a person and makes the receiver feel incredibly loved. I believe that was God's true purpose for beauty. All the other twisted uses for it are in vain. God created beauty to draw us closer to Him and to make us feel unimaginably loved.
Oftentimes we recognize beauty in big monumental things. The peak of a mountain with a glorious mountain range view, someone being healed of a terminal illness, the grandeur of a beautiful planned and expensive wedding, million dollar mansions and cathedrals, college graduation, the birth of a child, Christmas day etc. We dress up and take pictures and make a big deal out of these times. When things like this happen we say things like WOW! Praise God, this is amazing! We feel close to God and express gratitude toward Him.
But, y'all. Let me tell you, the Lord has been challenging me. He has been pursuing my heart to love Him in more than just these grand, glorious moments in my life. He has been provoking me to recognize His presence in the beauty of ALL things big and small, but especially the small. Because these big monuments things happen infrequently. God wants me (and you) to be drawn to him daily, hourly even.
So most mornings go like this I wake up filled with anxiety. Many times I am dizzy or sore or tired or have a headache or feel depressed. I feel unprepared, overwhelmed, and rushed at the task of life. My mind hurries through the list of all the things I need to accomplish that day and how much time I have to get those things done. Oh yeah, I also have to eat, look presentable, pack something to eat again later, and possibly even later if it's gonna be one of those days. The pressure builds in my mind to be all the things I'm supposed to be a good wife, an inspiring and result producing educator, a hard-working homemaker, a caring friend, and finally "a good Christian." In these moments the last thing on my mind is stoping and pondering how beautiful this world is and the many beautiful things in it.
But the Holy Spirit has an uncanny ability to stop me in these moments. Scripture says God's mercies are new every morning. And on these same mornings I also experience the relief of a warm bath and the sweet, relaxing smell of eyculaptus oil. I have my thirst quenched by fresh spring water and experience the delicious taste of a perfectly ripe persimmon. I experience the joy of having a warm home on a cold winter morning and being surrounded by people whom I love and who love me dearly. I get to see the sweet faces of children and do meaningful work. God blesses us SO richly each day and each hour.
My challenge, and maybe a challenge for you as well is that we stop only praising God in the enormously beautiful moments of our lives. May we see the exceptionally unique and pleasing gifts that our Father gives us each day even in the mundane, routine, and crazy busy areas of our lives. May those slight and fleeting gifts draw us closer to Him in gratitude and worship and allow us to love Him even more deeply each day.
