What Comes Out When Life Squeezes You?

Some time back, our pastor walked into church on a Sunday morning carrying a bowl of beautiful fruit. Now, he doesn’t normally bring props for his sermons, so I was immediately curious about what he had planned.

The fruit looked absolutely delicious! Perfectly ripe, colorful, and so realistic that I would have happily picked up a piece and taken a big bite. But then he pulled out a knife.

As he sliced into one of those beautiful pieces of fruit, something unexpected happened. Instead of juicy, fresh fruit, out came crumbly Styrofoam! The whole bowl was fake!

It sure looked good on the outside, but there wasn’t a single thing in that bowl that could nourish anyone. Our pastor went on to make a point that has stuck with me ever since.

When you squeeze a piece of real fruit, something good comes out. You might get fresh juice, or you could toss it into a blender and make a ​delicious smoothie​. Either way, there’s something nourishing inside.

But squeeze a piece of fake fruit, and what do you get? Nothing worth drinking or eating, that’s for sure! And isn’t that a picture of our spiritual lives?

It’s fairly easy to look like we’ve got everything together when life is going smoothly. We can smile, say the right things, and appear patient, kind, and full of faith.

But what happens when life starts squeezing us? When someone hurts our feelings, ​plans fall apart​, we’re exhausted, or things simply don’t go our way, what comes spilling out?

I wish I could say my response is always patience, kindness, and grace. But sometimes, if I’m being truthful, a little frustration or impatience sneaks out instead. I might even​ say something I will regret​ later. And those moments remind me that there’s still growing to do.

Galatians 5:22–23 tells us:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Notice that these aren’t just qualities we’re supposed to display when everything is easy. They’re the fruit of a life that’s continually growing closer to Christ.

And just like ​real fruit doesn’t ripen overnight​, neither do we. God keeps working in us, teaching us, pruning away what doesn’t belong, and helping us become more like Him.

The beautiful thing is that He doesn’t expect us to manufacture perfect fruit on our own. He asks us to stay connected to Him, the One who produces it in us.

So the next time life puts a little pressure on you (or me!), maybe we can remember that bowl of fake fruit. It’s not about looking perfect on the outside. It’s about allowing God to grow something real and life-giving on the inside.

My prayer is that when life squeezes us, what comes out will be a little more love, a little more patience, and a whole lot of His grace. Because the world doesn’t need more perfect-looking fruit. It needs the real thing.

October 23, 2026 Morning Brew