This is a story about a farmer who was very proud of the apples he produced each year, with good reasons.  His farm was at a high elevation and the cold winds that came through there made his apples especially crisp and flavorful.  Every year, after he harvested his crops, he would polished those apples until they virtually shone.  Then he would put them into beautiful packages to show them off.  These weren't your ordinary run-of-the-mill apples, but the kind that made beautiful gifts to send loved ones for Thanksgivings or Christmas.  As words of his marvelous apples spread, it got to the point where he was inundated with orders, even before he had harvested the fruits.

One year, just before the harvest time, a severe hillstorm pummeled his property.   When it was all over, there wasn't a single apple without blemishes on its skin.  There was nothing wrong with the apples, they just didn't look as pretty as they usually did, and the farmer was afraid that the people who had ordered them might be disappointed and ask for their money back.

Then he had an idea.  He took all the apples with little blemished on the outside, and wrapped every one of them the same way he did every year.  He put them in the same kind of packages.  Then he added a note.  It read "Notice these high quality apples.  This year represents the finest crop.  You can see the blemishes caused by the hailstorm which created the extreme cold giving the ultimate flavor and the ultimate crispness to these apples"

Not a single order was returned.  In fact, just the opposite happened.  The following year when his orders started coming in, he had many request from people who wanted to make sure they got the apples with the blemishes this year too!

When you live daily with an understanding of God's love, care, and guidance, you begin to realize that even the "blemishes" of life serve to make you better, stronger, more capable person.  And knowing the truth of that will definitely set you free.  

When you know the truth of God's concern for you, you will definitely be set free.

"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.  [John 8:32]
[Positive Minutes Hour of Power]