It’s a beautiful Saturday here in Pennsylvania. Last night, the last evidence of a gorgeous sunset greeted us as we left a contemplative and meaningful Good Friday service at church. We woke up to a day full of Easter baking for tomorrow’s Easter feast: yeast rolls, mac-n-cheese, orange cake, deviled eggs. (PS: I finally figured out the best way to make hard-boiled eggs for easy shell peeling. I’ve tried everything on the internet, but today, I tried another variation. You boil water. You add your eggs carefully to the boiling water. You boil for exactly 10 minutes and then immediately put the eggs into a bowl of ice water. Cool for 5 minutes. It worked. I think it’s the cooling time, personally.)
We’ll also have a honey ham, fruit, potatoes, and banana pudding tomorrow. I haven’t decided on a vegetable. I love working side-by-side in the kitchen with whichever family member wants to hang out. And yes, no matter how old my daughters are, I still go over-the-top with Easter baskets. I even hide them and sometimes make them go on a hunt to find their basket.
My kitchen window looks out into the backyard and then the forest beyond. Great news! I notice the flowers finally emerging on my plumcot tree I grew from seed. It’s taken 3 years. Blossoms! Beautiful blossoms! Just in time for Easter.
It’s both good news and bad news. The bad news is I have no idea what kind of plumcot this is. I grew this tree from the pit of a grocery store plumcot. Most likely, it’s not self-pollinating. Most likely, this tree needs another plumcot to cross-pollinate with. This means I’ll wait another few years unless I find a blooming plumcot in a garden center somewhere that I might plant. My other plumcots aren’t available: One plumcot didn’t survive the winter (but I’m not giving up on it), and another is a year behind in growth. And if you’re curious, my peach tree is growing fine.
Every time I look out at my blooming plumcot, I think about how it’s not good to be alone. Jesus sent out the disciples two by two (Mark 6:7). God tells us we belong in pairs, like in Genesis 2 where He says, “It is not good that man should be alone.” Think of Moses’ father-in-law counseling against serving all alone as a leader in Exodus 18. He says: “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.”
You are not able to do it alone.
Consider Psalm 68:6 and how God “sets the lonely in families.” Consider how God Himself exists in community as the trinity. Consider how Easter means we might receive the gift of salvation to experience union with Christ. He made us for Himself (Colossians 1:16). We aren’t supposed to be alone. We’re supposed to be with Him.
My plumcot tree can’t live alone. It wasn’t made for it.