by Rita Klundt

This week, I’ve been nibbling on blueberries. I eat them more for their health benefits than for their flavor. For sure, they are good berries, but not one of my favorite fruits. On day five, the bottom of the container was visible. I decided to use my blueberries to add some flavor to the plain, vanilla protein shake I was about to make. At least they wouldn’t turn to mush in my refrigerator before I could take advantage of their antioxidant effect.

So, I took the last handful of blueberries, rinsed them under cool running water, and dropped them into the measuring pitcher I use for making my shakes. Five ounces of cold water, three ice cubes, a rounded scoop of the protein powder, and I was ready to insert that blender on a stick thing and press the start button.

It had been a long and frustrating day. Every task, even the simplest of them, had met me with a stumbling block or a hard stop. From the moment my phone alarm sounded in the morning, not one thing had gone as planned. The second to last day of a long work-week ended as the first three had—an hour later than expected. I usually look forward to Fridays. Not today.

I’d been grumpy and a complainer. After nearly ten hours, even I was ready to get away from me. The pressure and the grind of a regular day, with regular challenges, had “made me that way.” My time and temperament were squeezed until it seemed there was nothing more I could offer. During the half-hour commute home, I tried to lure my mood to a happy place with music. I would have succeeded, but for the rude driver who cut into my lane with neither consideration for my schedule, nor a flash of his turn signal.

While I stewed over my detailed list of offenses, naming the offenders, the little motor in my blender was whirring and humming loud enough that my own thoughts, had they turned into intelligible words, would not have been heard. It was focused on winning a battle against blueberry skins and ice cubes. Those antioxidants were escaping the blueberries and causing the ingredients in the pitcher to turn a yummy shade of violet.

I’d like to say I gave my blender an extra thirty seconds to finish its job with a “Ta Dah,” but those unnecessary thirty seconds were actually an indulgence for my temper. Some might say it’s good to use something like a blender for releasing tension, but knowing those sharp blades were spinning because my finger was on a switch only intensified a false sense of power and control over my circumstances. It heightened the tension.

I thought of adding some sugar, but reconsidered. You don’t deserve the added calories, I told myself. Just drink it down. This is about nutrition, not taste.

The first gulp of protein was much better than expected. Why had I been enduring vanilla?

Then, I sat down to enjoy my shake and read my Bible. With the second gulp, I tasted the contrast between those blueberries and me. The nutritional value of the blueberries had not been diminished by the blender’s chopping and pulverizing. The blender had helped to turn an average, vanilla protein shake into a surprising treat for my taste buds. And without adding sugar!

Jesus warns about false prophets in Matthew 7:15-20. Their fruit might look good on the surface. It might even taste sweet, but it will certainly make us ill if we eat it. Whoa! When I felt “squeezed” earlier in the day, the griping and complaining that came out of me wasn’t good. Was it enough to make someone ill? I’d rather not think about that. But neither was it the kind of fruit to help anyone get well, and Jesus said in the twentieth verse, “By their fruits you will know them.”

Well, that was enough conviction for tonight, so I looked for another of Jesus’ fruit metaphors. Of course, I found one in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (NIV)

Heavenly Father,
You know that anyone can express love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control when the work is easy and the burden is light, and You know my current struggles and my burden. But You also know that the fruit of Your Spirit isn’t only to nourish us in the good times, but to bless those around us in the hard times. Help me, Lord, to love my enemies (and those who are merely an aggravation). When anger would be a natural response, remind me of the joy and peace I have in You. When the work is tedious and seems unproductive, show me how to be patient. I know that kindness and goodness have an eternal reward, so where rudeness and selfishness appear profitable, stop me from participation. My eyes tend to wander away from your written words, and my ears sometimes listen to lies. How can I be faithful when my focus is on this world? How long will You be gentle with me? Help me to practice faithfulness and gentleness. As for self-control—isn’t that where my “bad” day began?
I want to be like those blueberries, Lord. When I’m feeling used and abused because I’ve been dropped into a proverbial blender, I choose to be used by You. So, forgive me for not clinging to you, and fill me with Your Spirit as I read Your words and worship with my obedience. Amen.

I could have swallowed those berries whole, or after only a few bites and been nourished, but their purpose was not changed with my decision to drop them under my blender. They were created to bless someone like me. So, if I were a blueberry, I wouldn’t want to turn to mush. I’d rather be pulverized and bless someone.