My husband and I got to visit his parents last week and his parents have a big raspberry patch in their backyard.  I got to pick raspberries and take some home to make jam.   Yaaaaaay homemade raspberry jam!

I’m not a novice at picking raspberries.  My parents had a decent-sized bush in their yard during my teenage years and it was delightful to go out during the summer and pick and eat and pick and eat and pick and eat..   Mom made raspberry pies out of whatever we brought in, but precious little of made it into pies. 

There’s a technique to picking raspberries.  The bushes grow to be about chest-high, and they clump close together, so it is easy to think you’ll find the most if you stand up.

But that’s not so.

The leaves often shield the berries from the sun, and that means you often don’t see them when standing up.  Look down and across, you may see a few berries, but you’ll mostly see leaves.

The best way to find the most raspberries is to squat down low and look up.  If you do that, suddenly you see clumps of red berry goodness everywhere, high and low, just waiting for you to reach out for them.

Squatting down to pick raspberries reminds me of how much more we can get from the gospel when we humble ourselves. 

When I’m proud, the gospel doesn’t seem to have much draw.  Maybe a few blessings, but not many.   I’ve heard it all before, I go through the motions, I pray half-heartedly..   I don’t get to taste much of the fruits because it doesn’t seem there’s much there to taste.  It’s hidden from me.

But when I’ve humbled myself and look up to God, I see so much more of the blessings the Lord has given me.  I see more possibilities for growth to reach for.   Even if I’ve heard the gospel message a thousand times, my soul is fed and overflows with gratitude for its sweetness.  My prayers are full of purpose and thought.  Mysteries of godliness are unfolded to my view.

Mmmm.. raspberries...

Mmmm.. blessings…