What our "Fruit" Says About Us

The image above is of a cherry tree. We know it’s a cherry tree because we can see that cherries are growing on it. Simple! If we saw both apples and cherries growing on it, we would probably get confused. Cherry trees grow cherries; apple trees grow apples. No fuss; no muss. It just happens.

I suggest that people can be the same way. Often, it’s easy to discern “good” people because, well, they generally bear “good fruit”. They are kind. They are attentive parents, grandparents, and friends. They may help people and show concern for them in many ways.

In brief, decent people are likely to bring forth decent fruit. They will build other people up more than they tear them down. Such individuals set out to try to make their part of the world a kinder, gentler place.

Of course, benevolent people don’t always succeed in achieving such a lofty goal. They’re human. They have frailties the same as the rest of us. Obviously, people are more complicated than fruit trees. Yet, nature can teach us much about human nature.

What does the Bible say?

Matthew 12:35 (KJV) says:  “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”

Famous People

There are some prominent people who are criticized because they lack perfection. Their personal lives aren’t perfect. They don’t teach in the structured, legalistic manner that some people prefer. They’re perceived as greedy. The list goes on.

It’s my opinion that such people are bringing forth good fruit for these reasons: they uplift people with their speaking, and they coordinate practical help for disadvantaged individuals.

I think that people who criticize these individuals should do two things: ask themselves if the famous people are helping others more than they’re hurting them; and, look into their own hearts to see if they can find a non-attainable perfection.

My Conclusion

Our treatment of others says a lot about what kind of people we are deep inside. We might also be able to discern goodness in others by their outer words and actions.

Personally, I don’t expect every role model to be flawless. I am not flawless, myself. Who is? However, I propose that we evaluate our own fruit, and the fruit of others, before we pin on labels of “broken”, or “unworthy”.

After all, the vase in the image might be broken; but, it's still a vase.