Seeds

As I sat on my couch a few days ago, feverish and achy and generally out of it, I decided I had better increase my intake of Vitamin C. So I sluggishly dragged myself to the fruit bowl and grabbed an orange. As I peeled it, I began salivating at the prospect of its juicy deliciousness. But as I pulled the segments apart, and popped one into my mouth, I was met with a most unwelcome surprise.
Seeds. And not just those tiny ones; these were big. And not just one, but FOUR in the first segment of orange alone! I was rather put out, but I put them on my plate and plugged on, assuming the next segment would cause this orange to regain my better opinion. It, and the segments to follow, however, produced just as many, if not more seeds than the first! By the time I had finished the orange, I was strangely annoyed. I stared at the rather impressively large handful of seeds this small piece of fruit had contained, and realized, with amazement, that I had hardly noticed the taste of the orange itself. I had so looked forward to the sweet and juicy flavour, but had missed it almost entirely because I was focused on the seeds.
How often do we do this with our lives? Perhaps that's too large of a question. Just take one day as an example. How often do we let the things that disappoint or annoy us in the course of a day completely overpower the sweetness of the day itself? How easily we forget that in his love and mercy God gives us each new morning as a fresh beginning. Lamentations 3:23 says, " Because of the LORD's great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
May God give us the eyes of faith to see past the "seeds" in our days, and to rejoice in the incredible love and mercy He shows us each morning!