Home > Resources For Adult Workers > Barefoot

Mitch Todd About Mitch

Count Your Grapes

In those days they shall no longer say:
'The parents have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’
But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of
everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.
—Jeremiah 31:29-30

I could have written a standard "count your blessings" devotion this week, but instead... this one is about counting your grapes. I know, I know. Kind of a strange scripture for the week of Thanksgiving and the beginning of Advent. We're supposed to be celebrating and remembering all the ways we're thankful... not talking about sour grapes. Right? Of course.

But I know some people — and I'll bet you do too — who can't seem to help themselves. It's like eating a bowl of grapes. Most of them are delicious, but every once in a while, there's one that makes you pucker. Kind of hard to ignore, right? Even on the most joyful occasions, things can be spoiled by those sour grapes. The truth is, from time to time, most of us find ourselves doing a little complaining when we should be thanksgiving.

So how do we keep our Thanksgiving and Advent celebrations from being ruined? Well here's a radical notion, direct from Jeremiah: Let's give thanks for sour grapes, too! That's right. We should be thankful even when times are hard, even when obstacles are in the way, even when life tastes... sour.

Why? Because it's our life. Our path to follow. Our mistakes to make. Our struggles and trials to overcome. Jeremiah is talking about sin up above. It used to be that children were punished for their parent's sins (tasting the sour grapes their parents ate). But no more. Now we each carry our own baggage through life. If that sounds depressing, think about this... it's our baggage. God has made it possible for you and I to have ups and downs in life, to taste both the sweet and the sour.

Think about this: God made sour grapes. Not just the sweet ones. God gave us the whole amazing wide range of human experience, and today and every day, you and I are experiencing it. What have you learned this year, from the sour grapes you've eaten? How have your challenges given you depth and wisdom? How might God help you overcome the obstacles you face today?

Don't forget to count your grapes this year. Every one of them. Give thanks for the sweet, the sour, the bitter, and even the bland. God nourishes us through all of our life's experiences. Isn't that something worth thanking God for?

Now repeat after me...

Thanks a BUNCH, God!

Have a Great Week,

Mitch
rmitchelltodd@yahoo.com