mangoes

Today I stopped at a farmers market on my way home from work. I was excited to buy mangoes, since I hadn’t eaten them for awhile. Before I left Cambodia they weren’t quite ripe, and as the kids ate them green and dipped in chili and salt, I never found it to be quite the same!

I found them in a basket; soft, ripe and perfect. As I peeled one earlier, I thought about Cambodia. Mango season is in full swing. It’s a lot hotter than it is here. I miss it.

Cutting up a mango reminds me of the way I sometimes felt when I was there. Sometimes my life seemed perfect on the outside.
(well maybe not perfect, but almost!) Cutting it open, with a bit of a struggle, it got messy, sticky, and difficult to get rid of the peel. Many of my days reminded me of these things in myself. I was faced with my own shortcomings, sin, weakness, and messiness in daily situations. This was difficult and sometimes discouraging. My peeler wasn’t sharp enough and I needed a knife. I felt like sometimes the Lord had to use more difficult things to break me when His more gentle efforts didn’t work, and I was left discouraged, broken, and tired. My hands were a mess, but I soon had the mango cut apart and ready to eat. The mess was worth the sweetness of the fruit, and I am already excitedly awaiting my return to Cambodia.