The temperatures in north central Texas are not necessarily indicative of the season. The highs could be in the 80's in October and November...not what you'd think of fall weather. However...when you see the trunks of the pecan trees at the Whittle house wrapped with sheet metal, you know that fall is upon us!
As I have probably told you before, the sheet metal keeps pesky squirrels and raccoons from climbing our trees and stealing the pecans! When the trees form new fruit, the pecan is covered by a thick, bright green shuck. I guess it's kinda like an incubator to protect the fruit until it's ripe...like corn is covered by a shuck. (I never knew how pecans grew...I just knew they came from a tree.) My husband came in the other day and announced that some of the shucks were beginning to break open. That means that the pecans were ripening and harvest time was near. As the pecans continue to ripen, the shucks begin to dry, break open and pull away from the nut allowing it to fall to the ground. So what my husband was getting at when he came in with his announcement was...I need you to come help me get the new pecans out of the smaller, young trees before they fell.
We went out and realized that crows had already stripped two young trees of nearly all their fruit. Time was of the essence.
My husband set up an eight foot ladder to reach the nuts up in the first tree while I pulled the ones that were low enough for me to reach while standing on the ground. It wasn't long before my husband got down off the ladder and started to sneeze. He sneezed twice...then he sneezed again and again and again! He seemed to sneeze non-stop! I don't think I had ever seen anyone sneeze so many times in a row. He finally stopped long enough to say, "I'm allergic to pecan trees." Now my husband loves pecan trees and he's planted as many trees as our yard would hold...so I'm thinking, "What?!" And I said, "What do you mean you're allergic to pecan trees?!" He said, "Don't you remember when I had the allergy testing done -- they said I was allergic to pecan trees." To which I replied, "Nooo...I don't remember that! So why did you plant so many pecan trees if you were allergic to them?" "Well I'm not allergic to pecans, just the trees...I love pecans!"
Soooo taking a deep breath, I climbed up on the ladder to pull the pecans...which as it ended up, I really didn't mind. It was really kinda fun...except...I really hate crawly things! I don't like bugs! I don't like spiders or frogs or lizards or snakes -- all the things you find more of in the country. I was raised in town where there weren't many bugs...or spiders...or lizards...or frogs...or snakes. We've lived in the country for quite a long time so you'd think I'd be used to it but being up in a tree with bugs and spiders all around just made me a bit uncomfortable...and itchy.
As quickly as I could work, I pulled the ripening pecans. Those bright green shucks blended into the green leaves as a chameleon blends into it's surroundings. I could see them while on the ground and would move the ladder to where I thought was just the right location...only to climb the ladder and not be able to see the fruit that was 6 inches from my face. So I would get down off the ladder and look up to see what I was missing. Again I climbed the ladder but this time, not taking my eyes off the intended goal. At times, my husband could see fruit from the ground and direct my hand to fruit that I could not see. It was remarkable how the fruit could be hidden in plain sight.
We methodically moved from tree to tree over a couple of days and claimed the ripening pecans. At the end of each day, we would sit in the shade and peel away the shucks from the beautiful new fruit. Some of the shucks would pop right off and some would have to be cut off. My husband had the pocket knife, so I popped off all the easy ones and passed the stubborn ones over to him. Now we were wearing rubber gloves but my husband quickly tore through the fingers of his. The oil from those shucks turned his fingers the blackest black you can imagine. It was gross...and it would not wash off! We tried everything...even fingernail polish remover! Nothing took it off. I purposely diverted my eyes from having to look at such a disgusting sight.
So please follow me on my observations...
--The Shucks. They blend in so well, that it's hard to see them...like a chameleon blends in to it's surroundings. Most of the time, I'm like a Chatty Cathy...yakity, yak, yak, yak. But there are other times, I just want to be still and quiet. I just want to waft into worship services, slide into my seat and blend right in like a chameleon -- almost unseen. I just want to quietly worship my Lord and slip back out the doors. But many times the Lord has other plans for me. Another chameleon, not wanting to be seen, comes wafting in and the Lord seems to lead them to sit right by me! So even though I just want to sit and be quiet, I'm led to reach out to the nearby fellow chameleon. The Lord is always at work in our lives...we are His conduit connecting Him to others.
The other thing about the shucks is that they dry up to allow the pecan to come through. To me, that represents putting off our old, sinful self and becoming a new creature in Christ. Just as Christ died on the cross, was buried and then raised from the dead...we too die to our old lives when we are buried in baptism and rise to walk a new life in Christ. Romans 6:3-11. I love it!
--The Spiders and Bugs. Ok...so there I was on the tippy top of an eight foot ladder in the middle of a beautiful bright green pecan tree and there were.spiders.and.bugs.everywhere. Did I mention that I really hate spiders and bugs?! So I'm flicking off bugs and going cross eyed as tiny spiders drop down from webs in my hair!! Since I hate spiders and bugs so much, I see them as evil. The beautiful tree -- good -- vs the evil nasty creatures. I know that since the beginning of time, there has been good vs evil. But it seems to me, in my life time, the evil in this world has never been so blatantly visible. So it is important for us to make every effort to reflect Christ in all that we do. Ephesians 5:8-17.
--The Goal. It was important to not take my eyes off the prize. Getting distracted by moving the ladder, by spiders, bugs and the like, I would miss the aim of my mission. Our strength comes from keeping our eyes and the eyes of our heart on our Lord. Trouble comes when our sight is diverted. We can see things in our peripheral vision but our only focus should be on our ever present Lord and Savior. Philippians 3:7-14; Hebrews 11:1 - 12:3; Psalms 25:15.
-- Black Stain. Those black fingers of my husband were disgusting...just like sin. I couldn't stand to look at them. It's just like sin -- you can't bear to turn your eyes to look at it. I think of sin as being black. In my mind, I can't forget the sin in my life. I'm thankful that while I'm walking in the Lord's light, the blood of Christ continually cleanses my sin like no detergent ever invented. I John 1:5-10.
So the harvest this year has been a pretty good one...with lessons learned by this nut along the way.
Love till next time,
Lanna
For your consideration: Romans 8
