The Avocado Lesson: What Really Matters on the Inside

We love avocados around here, and I toss a bag into my cart every couple of weeks without even thinking about it. They’re creamy, delicious, and packed with healthy fats that support brain health, glowing skin, and steady energy. I slice them onto ​tomato avocado sandwiches​ with my special low-fat spread, pile slices onto nachos, and mash them into ​chickpea salad​.

Over the years, I’ve become something of an avocado ripening specialist. I know which ones to buy, how to speed up the ripening process, and how to make them last longer. (If you want ​all my avocado tricks​, I’ve written a whole article about it!)

But there’s one thing I still haven’t mastered. Every now and then, I cut into what looks like a perfectly beautiful avocado, only to discover that almost the entire inside is a giant pit. I’m talking barely-a-tablespoon-of-avocado kind of situation. It looks impressive on the outside. It took time to grow, it ripened nicely on my counter, and yet there’s almost nothing inside to nourish us. It always feels like such a letdown.

And every time it happens, I can’t help but think about how easy it is for us to live that way too.

It’s possible to look full on the outside—busy schedules, accomplishments, even spiritual activity—yet have very little of real substance within. We can grow in size, visibility, or even reputation, but neglect the inner life that truly nourishes our souls. The avocado with the oversized pit reminds me that what matters most isn’t how impressive something appears, but how much good fruit is actually inside.

Jesus spoke often about fruit: about lives that produce love, patience, kindness, and faithfulness. That kind of fruit doesn’t grow from outward performance. It grows from being rooted deeply in Him. ​Time in prayer​, Scripture, quiet obedience, and surrender may not look flashy, but they cultivate something rich and nourishing beneath the surface.

I don’t want to be all pit and no fruit. I don’t want my life to take up space without offering nourishment to the people around me. I want there to be something generous and life-giving inside, something that feeds others spiritually the way a perfectly ripe avocado feeds the body.

So, every time I slice one open, I’ll still hope for that smooth, creamy green goodness. But if I find a giant pit instead, I’ll let it remind me to tend to the inside of my own heart—because that’s where the real substance is grown.

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

March 6, 2026 Morning Brew

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