Oranges and Pearls

I’ve recently made a discovery. I often approach life much like I approach oranges. Sounds a little odd, doesn’t it? Let me explain. You see, I like oranges. I’d even go so far as to say it’s one of my five favorite fruits. And yet, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve passed up eating one more often that I’ve actually indulged.
Why? I mean that’s the question, isn’t it? As I said, it isn’t as if I dislike them. It’s often hard to beat the sticky sweetness of an orange. I love its flavor! The texture doesn’t bother me. I don’t even really mind how messy they can be. Man, I even love the way they smell. So why, if I’m so fond of oranges, am I so often reluctant to eat them?
Here’s the answer. I hate peeling them. No really, I do. Hate. It. Seems to me like it shouldn’t be so hard to unpack something you want to eat. So why do I hate to peel oranges? It takes so long. And it’s not like it’s easy to get a good peel going. Most of the time you have to take off piece by itty-bitty piece. And have you ever tried to eat one without peeling it? If not, don’t try. It’s disgusting. Ruins the whole experience.
Now, I know there are other fruits, such as the pineapple or the coconut, that are almost impossible to eat without the help of a very sharp object. I mean, there’s no way you could open one of them with just your fingers. (Although once, while watching Animal Planet, I saw a dog crack open a coconut with his teeth.) Sure, you can cut an orange into neat little sections with a knife, and eat the pulp off the rind. Like you would with a watermelon or a cantaloupe. It’s just not the same. Besides, I can’t get all the fruit when I eat it that way. Have you ever noticed that? You don’t get to enjoy the whole orange. No, God designed oranges to be peeled before eating. Probably so people like me can learn life lessons from it.
So you see now, right? I look at an orange, and though I would really love to eat one, it just seems like so much work. There have been times when I’ve been hungry, not “starving” hungry mind you, just “gee, I’d really like a snack right now” hungry, and have picked up an orange. I’d give it a once over, imagined how good it would taste, and then put it back down, choosing not to eat at all rather than put in the effort to skin a stupid orange.
How does this relate to my other everyday affairs? My struggle with the orange peeling process reveals an ugly character flaw that is evident in other areas of my life. I’m lazy. That’s the plain and simple truth. I’m not always lazy, and not even in everything that counts. But it’s true, nonetheless. To be honest, I’ve known this for quite awhile, but I didn’t fully understand how insidiously laziness had invaded my life until the other day.
I was on my lunch break. My lovely wife, whom God has so graciously provided me, had packed that morning a sandwich and an orange for me to eat. Finances have been a little tight, so that was it. Granted, this little meal would’ve been ample enough food to tide me over until dinnertime. After I finished my sandwich, I sat there for a moment looking at my orange, knowing I was still a little hungry. But I set the orange aside, hoping I’d be able to mooch food off of one of my co-workers later in the day, and began my ritualistic lunchtime Bible study.
God was nice. He let me read for a little bit before He convicted me. I even remember getting a little bit from what I’d read. Then, I started to think about that orange again. There it was, sitting on the table, looking oh so almost edible wrapped up in the package I seemed so determined not to free it from. “Why?” whispered a still small voice, “Why don’t you want to peel it? Don’t you want to eat it? Aren’t you still hungry?” So my conversation with God began.
Having you ever tried to argue something trivial with God? I don’t recommend it. He wins pretty much every time. It’s that sometimes irritating trait of His. You know, always being right. Because He is, you know? Always right. But I tried to show Him my logic anyway. “It just takes so long, you know,” I whined to Him in my head.
I said a few other things to Him, mostly what I’ve already pointed out to you. He wasn’t having it. He was patient, let me go through my spiel and everything. And then, in a very gentle, yet very firm way, He told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was being lazy. I could give as many reasons as I wanted. But essentially, that’s what it boiled down to. Do you know what else? It wasn’t the first time He’s told me this either.
A few months ago, I was enjoying a particularly good worship service when He decided to take me in a completely different direction. I mean I was having a good time, singing my heart out with my eyes closed and all of that. God picked that moment to remind me that procrastination is just another form of laziness. Talk about coming out of left field! The sermon hadn’t touched on that subject at all! It was weird! I remember breaking stride and thinking, “What’s that have to do with anything?” I sensed a little gentle throat clearing. “Laziness is a sin you know.” “Oh. Yeah it is, huh?” “Isn’t it time you started working on it?”
After the service ended, I told people about what God had showed me that day. I had even vowed to work on it, to strive to stop procrastinating. I haven’t really made much headway. So God, in His infinite wisdom, decided to use an orange to remind me where I stand. He even took it a step further. You see, most of the time, people put off things they don’t want to do. I procrastinate chores and honey-dos all the time. That’s what God showed me during the service. But what God showed me with the orange is this: I’m pretty lazy about things I kind of like as well.
For instance, I want to write. I’ve told people over and over again how much I would like to be a writer, how I’m full of all these great story ideas. I get inspired to write little essays like this one all the time, but I hardly ever follow through. Mostly, I give excuses like, “I don’t have a lot of time to write.” Or “I’m not really sure I know how to write” or “I’m not sure I’m that good of a writer” or “I don’t know really how to start.”
The truth is that I’m too lazy to give it a go most of the time. Which is crazy! I really do like to write. It’s actually the way I believe I express myself best. Talking to people just provides them an opportunity to interrupt, but with writing, I can just bombard them with as many words as I see fit. Doesn’t necessarily mean people read them all, but at least I can say all that I have to say.
Another area in which I often display my lazy streak is with the Lord. I love Him, you know? I do. I realize that without Jesus, I’m lost. I know He’s the only way I can be right with God. We have a relationship. I’m just not very good at maintaining my end of it. I want to get to know Him more. I want to enjoy His presence. But I don’t ever seem to make time for it. He showed me this reality with the orange.
I frequently make excuses for the lack of time I spend with Jesus. Prayer is one of the areas in which I have the least amount of discipline. I pray, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t start out my days with Him. I don’t spend a lot of quality time with Jesus. I read the Bible just about every day. But I don’t always talk to Him about what I’ve read. I don’t hang out with Him as much as I should. Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying He requires we meet with Him daily. As if I have to fill a quota of Jesus time, or He won’t love me anymore, or that I’ll all the sudden lose the free gift He’s given me. Jesus is not an Indian-giver. His love doesn’t depend upon mine.
I’m beginning to see most of my excuses don’t really hold water. Especially when you hold them up to the Lord God Most High. They all look pretty flimsy when exposed in His light. And so I’m forced to examine this question. If I love Him, if I want to get to know Him more, why don’t I make time for Him? My wife has told me on a few occasions that if we truly love something, if we truly desire to do something, if something is truly important to us, we change our priorities for it. But I’m lazy, and I don’t always love Him enough to put forth the effort it takes to quit being so selfish.
I’m impatient. I want a relationship with God. I want to know Him better, but I don’t want to take the time to peel through the things in my life that get in the way. I just sit there sometimes wishing there was easier way to get to Him, to get to the meat. You know? Like I want my own personal peeler, so I can just sit back and enjoy the fruit of my labor, without the labor.
As I sit here and contemplate the oranges of my life, I’m reminded of a story. Ever heard the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price? It talks about this pearl merchant who goes around looking for beautiful pearls. When he finds one of great value, he sells everything he has to get it. Everything. Wow! Now, I’m not trying to compare an orange or my writing to the Kingdom of Heaven. There is no real comparison. But there’s a general principle involved I’ve been missing. And it is this: If something is of value to you, it’s worth sacrificing other things to have.
So I have to ask these questions. How much do I really like to eat oranges? How bad do I really want to write? Is an intimate relationship with my Lord worth enough to me that I would put more time and energy into deepening it? There are myriad of different questions I could ask about a dozen different scenarios in my life. When am I going to prove that these things are really important to me?By the way, I ate the orange that day. It may not have been a pearl, but it was pretty good. Didn’t even take me that long to peel. And look, I’ve written quite a bit today. I might even take the time to revise some. (I did.) Who knows? Maybe I’m starting a new trend. From an eternal perspective, I sure hope so.