Smells of Fall

I had a list of things that I had hoped to accomplish today. One of those was making applesauce. For some reason our apples are ripening faster than normal this year. I had two big bags of apples that needed attention before they spoiled. So I began the task of peeling apples to make applesauce. I already have one big pan finished and the last one is still simmering. I can smell it cooking as I write this.

Although it didn't seem like it would be a big job, I have spent at least two and a half hours this morning peeling apples. My fingers and back are feeling the results of my labor. I had hoped that our apples would be better this year, since a friend of ours has been faithfully spraying them since Spring, to keep the bugs away. Well, apparently the bugs still managed to find a home in my apples. Many times I would look at the outside of the apple and it looked perfect. But as I cut into it I was often surprised by a little worm friend.

As I was peeling and peeling and peeling I couldn't help but think about a lot of Christians today. We look pretty nice and appealing from the outside, but perhaps not on the inside. Perhaps people know that you are a Christian, but at times things come out of your mouth that sound no different than those in the world around you. We say we are Christian but do we live lives that are fully set apart and different from the world around us?

Which are you today? An apple that looks lovely but has bugs on the inside or are you an apple that has some spots and bruises on the outside, but inside is a healthy, crisp core?