FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: CHINESE NEW YEAR EDITION

Buttery. Sweet. Tangy.

Melts. In. Your. Mouth.

Every household’s got their own choice selection of Chinese New Year goodies, but the one item everyone probably will have is the pineapple tart. They make an annual appearance at CNY because in several Chinese dialects, “pineapple” sounds like “good fortune”.

They’re one of the more expensive snacks of the lot, being somewhat of a baking art. The good thing is that even if you don’t buy any, someone will likely send a jar your way as a new year’s gift. They come in all sorts of shapes – flat, rolled, round  – and though they be small, they sure pack a punch (in both goodness and caloric value). We love them all the same.

Isn’t that like God’s goodness? Close your eyes for a moment and savour it. The breath in your lungs. The health in your bones.

The ones who hold you close. His provision of your needs in the most startling of ways.

This CNY, learn to recognise the goodness of God in all its shapes and sizes. On some days it’s like a golf ball-sized pineapple tart.

It doesn’t always come in a form you’re used to, but it is always sweet to behold. It melts in your spirit.

God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good. No matter what you carry in your heart this CNY, learn to recognise the goodness of God in all its shapes and sizes.

On some days, in some ways, it’s like a golf ball-sized pineapple tart – impossible to miss and overflowing from within. But maybe on others it looks different than what you’re used to, and you find it hard to acknowledge. But learn to do so.

As the psalmist praised, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Psalm 34:8) – let’s keep our hearts and eyes open to the goodness of God in our lives. In big ways and small, whatever the form, it sure packs a punch. Every. Single. Time.

Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! (Psalm 31:19)