My Neighbor's Mango Tree

When I was a child, the neighbor in front of my family’s house had a big mango tree in his yard. The tree bore fruit every year, and when it was in season the tree produced quite a lot of fruit. Since my neighbor got so many mangoes when the tree was fruiting, he would enjoy them with his family and also share them with his neighbors, including us. We always looked forward to the mango season so we could enjoy the fruit together.

When I was in the fourth grade, my family and I moved to a new house that was quite far from where we used to live. Of course that meant we left our neighbor and his mango tree, and in our new house we were nowhere near a mango tree. I always dreamed of having a house with a large mango tree that would bear much fruit every year. If I had such a tree, I would be able to enjoy the sweet and delicious mangoes and also share with my neighbors, friends, and the people around me.

Just like trees can bear fruit and be blessings to other living creatures, all of us can also bear fruit and be blessings to others. And it’s wonderful when our lives can bless others. Like a tree that can be a blessing through its fruit, we can be blessings when we produce something that can be enjoyed by others. When we focus on making our lives blessings, we will no longer think about ourselves but about how we can glorify God in whatever we do.

When we truly grow in God, our lives will bear fruit that can be enjoyed by others—our loved ones, family, friends, and the people around us. Just as John 15:4 says, the branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine, and the only way that our lives can bear fruit is if we abide in Christ. We will become a blessing to others when our lives bear fruit. And the more we abide in God, the more fruit we will bear. When our lives bear much fruit, we bless ourselves and others, and we glorify God.