I Hate Cherries. Or Do I? by Jessica Bowman

If you've been paying attention, you'll find that I've met a lot of the guest posters for this month on Twitter. Jessica is no exception. But if I'm going to be tangled in the interwebs with someone, Jessica is one to be tangled up with. She understands why it's important to remember the legacy of the Bluth family and her book references Where the Wild Things Are. Thanks, Jessica, for sharing your writing with us today!


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When I was a kid I was certain that I didn't like cherries.  I knew it.  Without a shadow of a doubt.  And I had cold, hard evidence to back it up: maraschino cherries were disgusting. For reals.  

Anytime someone offered me a cherry I would turn up my nose.  “No thanks”, I’d say, barely hiding my disdain.  “I don’t like cherries.” 

Until one fateful day a friend insisted that I try a fresh, raw cherry.  Insisted kindly and with promises of their deliciousness.  I was nervous.  I honestly didn’t know what to expect.   

Imagine my surprise when I Loved cherries.  Capital. Loved. 

Our perceptions and experiences can lie to us.

I used my personal experience as an undeniable assurance of what I believed about cherries.  It was proof; undeniable.  I couldn’t know that I hadn’t been painted an accurate cherry picture.  Not even close.  I had never experienced a cherry in its natural form, untainted and manipulated by man.

Many people today are sure that they do not like God and the church.

They’re basing this opinion on cold, hard evidence. 

But they’re wrong.  They haven’t been painted an accurate picture. 

They’ve never experienced the spiritual life in its natural form, untainted and manipulated by man.

Christians, we are merely the brush strokes that God uses to share His beauty with the world.  Let’s seeks His presence so that the Spirit is able to lead us in the job of painting His loving grace.  And keep beckoning patiently and kindly to those whose experiences have shown them an inaccurate picture.

How have your perceptions about life changed over time? 

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Jessica is the mother of four Wild Things who spends her time seeking an authentic faith and Embracing the Rumpus.  Find her at Bohemian Bowmans. 

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