We have a tendency to reach for the lowest hanging fruit. Whatever is easiest, serves us the quickest, or gratifies instantaneously. Shortcuts. Ease. Comfort. Familiarity.

This isn't all bad. We have a limited amount of energy, so following patterns often makes sense.

But this tendency can also get in our way. When God's way does not appear easy, we can find ourselves looking elsewhere. Following another path that we can understand or one that seems more comfortable. We can forget that Christ is our comfort, a comfort that passes understanding.

Our hearts long to serve Jesus and receive the full and rich benefits of relationship with him. Accordingly, no matter the difficulty, following Jesus is always the best way. The journey is complex, but that creates the opportunity to know God by faith. It is in knowing God by faith that our greatest opportunity for fulfillment lies.

The temptation is strong to serve people, and their opinion of us. It seems a low hanging fruit. But the favor of man ebbs and flows. It changes like a tide, brushed away by the rushing wind. The fruit withers and fades just as quickly as it blooms.

But the favor of God is eternal. It seeps from this life into the next. It is the fruit of the tree of life. The striving pays immense benefits. Listening to God, seeking humility and truth, is worthwhile in a quest for the highest branches and the eternal fruit.