Name: Apple Stuffed French Toast
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 4 Pieces of French Toast
Ingredients: 1/2 red apple; 1 tablespoon coconut oil; 4 thick slices bread; 2 eggs; 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice; 2 teaspoons honey; non-stick cooking spray

Psalm 1:3 (easy)

‘He will become like a tree planted by rivers of water.’ ‘It will give its fruit in its season. Its leaves will not fall’ ‘Everything that he does will be very good.’

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This verse; it gives so much meaning to every question of “when?” It provides so much hope for every doubt, and uncertainty. But it’s not easy to read or even to accept.

There’s a key word in this passage that’s easy to skim over and breeze right by. If we don’t take it out of this sentence and really put our focus on it, we’ll probably continue to misunderstand God’s goodness and wonder where He is and why He isn’t showing up like He promised. That word is season. More specifically, the phrase that matters most here is “in its season.”

Yesterday, we talked about the fruits of the Spirit, so to break down this verse a little further, let’s continue with the fruit theme. This time, though, we’re talking about actual fruit – apples, pineapples, bananas, whatever you love most. I’m from the Midwest, and now that I’m back here, I’m really excited for apple season (they’re my fav!). This is the time of the year that apples are in their prime. This is their season. Have you ever eaten fruit that’s out of season? It was probably pale in color and lacking in taste.

Just like fruit, we go through seasons. Sometimes, we think we’re ready for something, and life shows us that we’re not. Other times, we’re sure that we aren’t ready for something, but God reminds us that we are. Either way, He’s the only one who knows when we’re in season, and I imagine that, among other things, it’s the basis for the decisions that God makes.

Earlier, I said that it’s easy to breeze right by the part about being in season and jump right to the end. That’s because the end is the fun part, right? “Everything that he does will be very good.” Other versions of this scripture say, “Those people succeed in everything they do.” That sounds amazing; why can’t we skip straight to that part?

Because if and when we do, we have an unrealistic expectation of what our lives will be. We’re set up for disappointment, frustration, and most unfortunate, we can lose faith and trust in God. But this passage teaches us to begin viewing our own journey in the same way that we watch fruit grow into season.

Imagine if you planted a seed and expected to eat that fruit the very same day; sounds crazy, right? On average, an apple tree takes somewhere between 6-10 years from the time the seeds are planted until the time it produces fruit. That’s a lot of years. And all the while, God is working on that tree – making sure it has enough water, sunlight, and shade. He’s watching over it, leading it to its full maturity. Our lives are a bit like that. We can’t expect to have instant change, growth, or results. Often, our prayers aren’t answered immediately, either. But we can rest in the truth that there’s a season for everything, and under His plan, it’s never too early or too late.