So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.—Joshua 24:13 (NIV)

It was our second summer in our new home when we realized the gift we’d been given. The move into this home had been difficult. Our previous house, the one we designed, built, and turned into a home—the place where we’d raised our children—was now occupied by another family. We hoped they would come to love it as we did. 

We contemplated cutting down three small trees in our new backyard. Last summer, all they did was grow leaves. No blossoms, just leaves. Their shape was unappealing, and they were too small to provide shade. They had to go. 

This spring, however, before I cranked up the chainsaw, something happened. Pretty pink blossoms told us we had more than we realized. The blossoms soon gave way to small, hard fruits. We had no idea what they were, so our family had fun watching them grow. 

A few weeks later, we began harvesting the most delicious peaches any of us had ever tasted. A bumper crop. Day after day, we picked a dozen or more amazingly sweet, succulent peaches. More than we could eat. More than we could bake into pies and cobblers. Soon, we were giving them away. 

“Well, I guess moving here wasn’t all bad,” Josie said. “God’s grace came through again.” 

 “Right,” I said. “And we didn’t work for it one bit.”