“Now, you tell me!” What a life lesson we recently learned from our pear tree. We planted a pear tree in our backyard a few years back. We were consistently getting good sized pears to grow, but they wouldn’t ripen.
The last two years we attributed it to the fact that it was still a young tree. This year, however, we decided to do a little internet research as to why these perfectly formed pears were not progressing towards perfection.
Much to our surprise, pears are one of the few fruits that don’t ripen on the tree! They are to be picked once they reach a good size and shape. Then set out to ripen, preferably with other pears or ripening fruit, in a bowl! You should have seen the look on our faces when we learned this truth. “Now, you tell me!” http://www.phpaide.com

We simply didn’t know any better. We grew pears like we did the other fruit in our backyard. Yet, just like we needed an outside source to tell us differently, you’ll need an outside source of truth if you are going to bear Christ-like fruit. Listening to Jesus in the Word is essential if you hope to make any progress towards being like Jesus, perfection.
And two, perfection is a progress that’s different for everyone! Some ripen on the tree, while others don’t. Growth will come in spurts, slow down and then ripen to full sweetness. It takes time to retrain your brain and produce sweet eternal Christ-likeness. So relax. Breathe. And keep listening to Jesus. Sweetness will come. Perfection is progress.
S“E”t Free Nowww