Going Bananas

I get joy from the simple things in life. Little things. Normally unnoticed things. Today, my joy was my banana. Now, not all bananas are created equal. Far from it! For me, Chiquita bananas beat Dole or DelMonte bananas, hands down. Besides the texture and flavor, I like the little stickers that Chiquita puts on their bananas. This morning's banana sported a sticker that announced, "Raised with Tender Loving Care." Today, it showed.

Normally a banana is my mid-morning snack of choice during the work week. Usually, I peel my banana, hold it in my left hand and eat it while keying data into my computer with my right hand. Not today! Today, after I peeled my banana, I instantly noticed its perfection. It was beautiful. Not a blemish, not a mark, not a meely area existed on this amazing piece of fruit! I commented such to my coworker, who, while thinking me totally crazy, did indeed agree!

Take a look-see for yourself:




















Now, I had no idea that I was in for this treat. Before I peeled this banana, it appeared to be an ordinary banana. Sure, it looked about the right yellow to be ripe and not hard and bitter tasting. The peel had a few blemishes and dark spots that accompany your typical banana.

Take a look-see:

You just know it, don't you? You're right! I spotted God in
my morning banana. Transfer the peel to our human flesh. Most people are pretty ordinary. Looking, I mean. I know I am. When we look at people on the outside, we see blemishes. A few wrinkles. A sprinkling of gray hair. A crooked nose. Cracked teeth. We think what we see is what we get. Far from it! God created us, you and me, to perfection.

In the midst of praising God for his greatness and holiness and hugeness, David speaks of human creation in Psalm 139:13-16 (here, from The Message):

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out, you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God - you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration - what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body. You know exactly how I was made; bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you. The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day."

Don't ever believe that you are ordinary. God created you to be extraordinary! Perfect in every way! God placed a sticker on you that announces, "Made with Loving Care!"