Dragon Fruit at Green Haven

^Daytime

Daytime - bud

Night time

Night time

Bud - Night time

Taken on 15 March 2013

The splendour of God's beautiful creation -
Dragon fruit from the bud to a beautiful flower.

The Dragon fruit flowers will literally bloom in a matter of hours, so if you're patient, you can witness the entire process.

On March 15, we noticed this flower bud 'standing' upright and we believed it is getting ready to bloom.
On March 16, we went out again and saw the flower had started blooming.  At about 1030 pm, we started snapping photos of the flower partially bloomed.  At 11-30 pm, the flower bloomed was at its fullest.

At 11-30 pm 16-March-2013

From a beautiful flower into a
glamorous fruit
         On 12-April-2013

Ripen fruit on 14-April 2013

The Poison of Bitterness

Nobody's life is perfect.  We will all encounter broken relationships with friends or family at some point in our lives.  Satan will try to sow bitterness into our lives through some means.  Once bitterness takes root in our lives, it grows like weeds.

Many people we encounter in our lives will inevitably hurt us.  When we are hurt, we have two choices: forgive, or become bitter.  When bitterness takes over our life and we are overcome with sorrow, there is no other way but to turn to Jesus.  Bitterness cannot be sweetened by sugar or honey - they can only be sweetened by the tree of life, the cross of Jesus, the manifestation of dying love, the application of atoning blood of Jesus.

Christ admonishes us in Luke 17:3-4 to always offer forgiveness to those who hurt us.  We must trust in the power of Christ and remember that He wants what is best for us.  Believing that we can go on living with the heart wounds of bitterness is foolish and dangerous.  Let's forgive today, trusting in the love and power of Christ.

[Extract from Living Life -April 2012]