We recently had our back patio and walkway/stairs of the house redone so I’ve been living the luxury of a No-Weeding-Needed Reality!! As temporary as it may be, it has allowed me to focus more on some of the other plants we have in our backyard. Lately, I’ve been especially captivated by our vines…
As I was lifting up/rearranging some of the grapevine branches the other day, I realized that many of the little off-shoots had been growing around my strand of lights! Now, for those of you who haven’t seen this, you might picture growing around as “near to” or “beside”. Maybe with other plants, but definitely not so with vines!
These little vines have literally wrapped and twisted themselves around the light strands so tightly that if I were to move the lights they would rip right off!! …unless I very carefully un-twisted every single one.
Also, Morning Glories.
They are vines too! And as I was removing last year’s dead vines from our chain-link fence, I realized that I had to be extra careful because some of this year’s new vines were growing around (“entirely twisted around”) the old dead ones!
Although that’s about the end of my horticulture knowledge and observations, it’s just the beginning of what God was showing me…
I began reflecting some more about Jesus’ teaching around the vine and the branches:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples…”
John 15:1-8
From what I can gather, all these little grapevine shoots growing this summer, are next summer’s fruit-bearing branches. And, technically, they’re doing really well… They are proof that our grapevine is healthy and continuing to grow new branches.
However, while they are growing and are even still connected to the vine, because they’ve grown around my lights, even if they survive to next summer, they will never grow strong enough to support the growth of fruit.
The thing that really stood out to me is that they simply grew around what was nearby.
At the end of the day, the strand of lights and the dead vines from last year were not inherently bad or dangerous. They are even successfully serving the purpose of supporting these different vines as they grow… the risk is that both of those supports can be/will be removed and the new growth could easily go with them.
Each of us have things in our lives that we grow around. Which is great! Because each and every one of us require supports to grow and mature. Whether we rely on work or family or relationships, habits or hobbies, it is important for us to be aware of what we choose to really wrap ourselves around.
It is not bad that these branches twist and wrap themselves around things. That’s literally how they were created and it’s part of what helps them survive and withstand storms and high winds! It’s just unfortunate that what they grew around was also temporary.
As temporary as a new patio without weeds.
The weeds will grow and the storms will come.
In this teaching, Jesus makes it clear that the Gardener Father will cut off the branches that don’t bear fruit. Even the ones that are bearing fruit will be pruned so that they can grow and produce even more fruit!
Consider the things and people in your life that you are currently wrapped around…
Are they supporting you as you learn to remain in Jesus?
Are they helping you bear fruit and grow as a disciple?
Are they firmly rooted and secure supports that will help you sustain growth or are they merely convenient?
I’m not saying to throw away your supports or to burn the things around you… your Father in Heaven, the gardener, is going to prune and show you the things that need to be removed, if they need to be removed. I’m simply asking you to consider what it is that you’re growing around. Because you’re not a grapevine or a morning glory.
You are a child of God who can make choices and change your mind; change direction.
You have the Spirit of God within you to comfort you and empower you to change the course you’re on and to sustain and guide you in the ways that will bring about life!