Earlier this week I discovered a peach tree in our front yard (after living in the house over 6 months). A beautiful, fruitful peach tree, in our midst, right under our noses! I was elated. But then suddenly sad. After further inspection of the tree I realized that we missed the opportunity to pick the good fruit…there weren’t many left on the tree. What a shame. What a disappointment. How could we miss seeing the blessing of this tree in our very own yard?

How many blessings have you missed in your life? You know the ones – in your midst, right under your nose. Did you write them off/dismiss them because they didn’t look like much? Maybe it looked like a weed at first glance – good for nothing but to annoy you? Or maybe you were distracted by other things that you thought would bring you good fruit only to leave you with a bitter taste.

Thankfully, my disappointment didn’t last long. My husband came outside to take another look at our peach tree and right before we pronounced our definite misfortune, we saw a smaller peach forming, hidden in the corner of the tree. Hubby said, “There’s one. It looks like its gonna be a good one. We have to watch it closely and pick it at just the right time.” Of course I was practically doing somersaults at this point:) I love peaches and I love an opportunity to save some grocery money. No misfortune in this story. God simply allowed us the opportunity to take a second look to discover a fresh blessing in our midst, right under our noses. He’s doing the same for you! Take another look! You’ve been diligent in seeking God, following Him and working hard to keep His ways. Your blessing is in your midst. When we go our own way we miss out on so much. The Bible says in Isaiah 48:18-19,

“I am God , your God, who teaches you how to live right and well. I show you what to do, where to go. If you had listened all along to what I told you, your life would have flowed full like a river, blessings rolling in like waves from the sea. Children and grandchildren are like sand, your progeny like grains of sand. There would be no end of them, no danger of losing touch with me.” (The Message Bible)

God wants us to have peace. God wants to bless us abundantly. But we must do some things. We must follow His way. We must be careful not to be distracted by every little thing, but purposely set our mind on God. Oh the fruit that will produce! Follow God’s leading. That message doesn’t change. You can do this!