There are few moments in Canadian summer life that inspire quite as much confidence as standing in front of a large bin of watermelons.
Everyone suddenly becomes an expert.
One person insists you must thump the melon.
Another recommends lifting it to judge the weight.
Someone else is searching for “the field spot,” whatever that may be.
An elderly gentleman nearby quietly announces that he has been choosing watermelons successfully since Lester Pearson was Prime Minister and requires no advice from anyone.
Within minutes, complete strangers are offering one another opinions with the certainty usually reserved for constitutional law and hockey playoffs.
It is a beautiful thing.
Now, I confess that I have never mastered the art.
I have tapped.
I have knocked.
I have listened.
I have even held one thoughtfully beside my ear as though it might whisper helpful information.
The watermelon has never cooperated.
Sometimes I choose a magnificent specimen—sweet, crisp, perfectly ripe.
Other times I carry home what appears to be a large green bowling ball with aspirations of becoming fruit.
There seems to be an element of mystery involved.
Which, if we’re honest, resembles much of life.
We like to imagine that wisdom means always knowing exactly what to do.
That faithful people somehow receive a heavenly instruction manual.
That if we pray long enough, read enough books, and attend enough Bible studies, every decision will become wonderfully obvious.
Yet life rarely unfolds that way.
Discernment is not fortune-telling.
It is learning to walk closely enough with God that we trust God’s goodness, even when the next step isn’t perfectly clear.
Scripture reminds us again and again that wisdom is less about certainty than about relationship.
Solomon asked God not for guaranteed success, but for “an understanding mind.”
The disciples rarely knew where Jesus was taking them next.
Abraham packed for a journey without knowing the destination.
Even the saints spent a remarkable amount of time saying things like, “Well… I suppose we’ll see.”
That gives me considerable comfort.
Because most of us spend far too much energy worrying that we’ll choose the wrong watermelon.
Or the wrong career.
Or the wrong house.
Or the wrong opportunity.
Or the wrong path.
Certainly, our decisions matter.
But perhaps we sometimes underestimate the remarkable ability of God to work with ordinary people making imperfect choices.
Grace has always been wonderfully adaptable.
Over thirty-three years of parish ministry, I have watched people agonize over decisions that seemed enormous at the time.
Years later, they often discover that God’s faithfulness had been present in every season—not because they chose perfectly, but because God never stopped accompanying them.
The Kingdom has never depended upon flawless decision-making.
It has always depended upon faithful people willing to keep listening.
Which brings us back to the watermelon display.
Eventually, after much tapping, lifting, rotating, inspecting, and receiving unsolicited advice from three complete strangers, you simply choose one.
You place it in the cart.
You head home.
You cut it open.
Sometimes you celebrate.
Sometimes you quietly decide that next week you’ll try a different technique.
And life goes on.
There is something surprisingly hopeful about that.
Not every choice must carry the weight of eternity.
Not every uncertainty is a crisis.
Sometimes wisdom means praying, gathering good counsel, making the best decision you can, thanking God, and trusting that grace will meet you on the other side.
Besides, even if the watermelon isn’t perfect, there is always the possibility of turning it into fruit salad.
God has rescued far more complicated situations than that.
So perhaps this week, worry a little less about getting everything exactly right.
Listen carefully.
Pray faithfully.
Walk humbly.
Choose the watermelon.
And trust that the God who has guided saints, sinners, prophets, apostles, and bewildered parish priests for generations is more than capable of guiding you as well.
After all, God has never required perfect discernment.
Only faithful hearts willing to keep following.
Follow along on Instagram @renewablespiritual.
Companion Prayer
Gracious God,
Thank you for walking with us through all the ordinary decisions of life. When we are uncertain, grant us wisdom. When we are tempted to overthink every choice, grant us peace. Help us to listen for your voice, seek good counsel, and trust that your grace is always greater than our imperfections.
Teach us to walk faithfully rather than fearfully, knowing that you are already waiting for us on the other side of every decision. Fill our hearts with confidence in your love, gratitude for your guidance, and joy for the journey you have set before us.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.