When I think of watermelon I think of Pollyanna at the Town’s Bazaar. In the 1960 Disney film she eats the largest slice of watermelon (and cake for that matter) that I have ever seen. For only a penny a slice you could have the sort of watermelon that dreams are made of.
The perfect watermelon is a precious summer treasure. It hits a hot and parched mouth in a way that few other fruits do - crisp, cool, watery and sweet.
A few summers ago we had several dud watermelons. So, I researched how to choose the perfect watermelon. I learned that the more circular the watermelon, the sweeter it is. That a yellow patch on the watermelon means that it sat in the sun on the ground which means it is sweeter and that scratches and marks on the outside are evidence that the bees got to it, which enhances the taste.
Thankfully, I have mostly been able to avoid disappointing watermelons since.
I bought a watermelon last week and promptly hid it on the bottom shelf of the fridge. My kids are at the age now that they can polish off a whole watermelon in one day without breaking a sweat - that’s a little summer punn for you.
As soon as it was in the fridge, I forgot about it.
When I pulled it out a week later I was sure it would be past its prime. Cutting into it I was pleasantly surprised to find it was perfect. Pollyanna-esque.
We enjoyed several pieces and then I stored it in the fridge for friends coming over the next day. Only 12 hours later I pulled it out and was dismayed to find it was already turning. A little softer, a touch grainier, souring rather than sweetening.
Watermelons have a prime.
They have an expiration date. They can be a Pollyanna dream watermelon one day and then, within 12 hours, they can turn mushy and pungent.
Watermelons are great when they’re good but you can miss the moment. When it’s gone, it’s gone.
Last fall I ran into an old friend and said, “You should come over for dinner.” I was sincere. But I have yet to follow up on it.
I have thought about it several times since. I only ever thought about it when the kids were sick or we were too busy to add one more thing to the schedule.
When I initially ran into my friend I felt it was a “God-thing”. A meeting that seemed random but was most likely initiated by God. I have come to believe that random meetings are much more intentional than I used to think.
When I was sick and unable to reach out to people, I would run into just the right person at the hardest moments - after getting bad news, on my way to a procedure that I was dreading, or on a day when the pain and fatigue was more than I could bear. God always sent someone to encourage me. Overtime I came to believe that the randomness was divine intentionality. You don’t have to believe the same thing as me. It has just happened too many times for me to deny it.
Despite that belief I have not yet made good on the supper invitation to my friend. And I have felt bad about that. It is now August and still no supper has been organized.
This is why I am thankful God is not like a watermelon.
There are no past its prime, expired or point of no return with God’s leading in our lives. His offers, his perchance meetings of old friends, his invitations to respond do not go bad if you leave them too long.
As a young child I always thought that there was one perfect moment for everything to happen and if you missed it God would never offer again.
But God is not a watermelon.
It seems silly to clarify but just in case, I am not saying that we should ignore God’s prompts. We are not to sin so that grace may abound. Allowing our lives to be interrupted by God and learning immediate obedience is a joy and a gift.
But I am saying that if you, like me, have managed to not yet follow through on something you felt God was asking you to do - there is still time. And I’m not really talking about supper invitations as much as I am talking about bigger things, more important things, deeper things.
God is faithful and he is kind. The story of the Bible is a God who offers and offers and offers again the opportunity to follow him and obey. God is just but he chooses mercy and he extends it with gracious abundance. He sent prophet after prophet to the Israelites and only after several hundred years he finally sent them into exile. And even that exile was not as long as they had disobeyed him.
Of course, in the end, he graciously sent himself.
There is still time to take God up on his offer. There is still time to respond to his leading about forgiveness you need to give, that friend you need to write, that call you need to schedule, that confession you need to make, that idol you need to lay down. Or that spiritual formation practise you need to start, that money you need to give, that step God’s Holy Spirit has been prompting you to take.
God’s offers don’t expire.
I have often wondered if he prompts and prompts and prompts so when the time is actually right for us to take that step - we are ready.
But I know this: when you respond to him, when you obey, I promise it will be worth it. His plans are good and he is patient. His invitation never sours or turns unlike Pollyanna’s watermelon which will eventually rot. I remain forever thankful that God is not like a watermelon. He is infinitely better and he is waiting for you.
When a watermelon rots it nourishes the ground that allows new things to grow. God is may not be a watermelon but I may be one.
Always good, thought provoking words. Thanks, Lisa!