Chapter 2 - Humbly connected ….
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5
“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” Isaac Newton
There are a few worldly luxuries in life that bring me temporary satisfaction. A sinful bite of European dark chocolate after one of those difficult days, a comforting cup of hot tea on a frigid Minnesota morning, the sound of my skis gliding through fresh fallen snow, or the priceless smiles on my daughters faces after returning home from school.
Every fall season one of the greatest satisfactions I have enjoyed over the years is gathering the bountiful harvest in my backyard garden. Each spring I enjoy the manual job of digging in the rich soil as I smell the fresh odor of the earth below. I make it a challenge to see how early I can plant my “cold crop” of lettuce and spinach so that I can reap the benefits of an extended harvest.
All summer and into the fall season our family has enjoyed eating fresh produce of corn, beans, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, raspberries and squash. A few summers ago we were pleasantly surprised to discover grapes growing on a vine that I had transplanted a few years prior. After remaining in the rich soil for over three years the vine was finally able to produce fruit –luscious deep burgundy colored grapes.
As September approached the grapes were ready to be harvested. I have many childhood memories of making grape juice with my mother from our neighbor’s vineyard. Nothing store bought could even compare to the sweet flavor of our home made grape juice. After consulting the internet and putting on my Martha Stewart cooking hat, I was ready to tackle making some juice and jelly out of my own backyard harvest.
The instructions gave cautions of harvesting the grapes too early since they will not ripen apart from the vine. Luckily my grapes had reached a deep purple color and to the palette had a sweet tangy flavor. Not being a huge fan of store grape jelly myself, I soon discovered that my homemade jelly was in a class of its own. With each bite, one could taste the richness and flavor that the grapes provided. The five jelly jars that I produced were inhaled by my family in a matter of weeks.
The sweetness that made each of those individual gapes had come from remaining on the branch and being connected to the vine. A branch cut from that vine tree would be useless on its own to produce any fruit. Harvested even a week or two early, the grapes would have been bitter tasting, giving the jelly and juice little flavor. So often in my walk through this life I am tempted to break away from the life giving line of Jesus and instead take the role as an independent solo player. I can manage to get by on my own for a while and can even become quite successful in my “doing” mode, but eventually I end up exhausted and empty. It begins to show up in my relationships, my health and my lack of joy and fulfillment in life. Soon I learn that without daily tapping into the power source of Christ I am hopeless to produce any kind of lasting fruit.
Just as Craig and I had to learn how to ride as a unified team, it is the same in our relationship with God. Sometimes it may take days, weeks, months and even years to produce certain spiritual fruit in our lives. Often we get impatient and try to break away from the true vine to produce our own fruit. God desires for us to be connected to the vine of Jesus throughout our days. If we know this truth, than why is it so difficult for us to humble ourselves and stay plugged into the power source?
World Screams Independence…
One of the main reasons is that our society pushes the exact opposite of being connected. Dan Boone in his book, “Preaching the story that shapes us”, describes how America has influenced our minds and behavior.
“Culture has taught us to live by the creed of the individual. It goes something like this “I am an individual. I have my own Social Security number and it is different than yours, I exist in a separate skin sack full of bones and blood. My fingerprints are unique. I have a self-esteem, self-worth, and self-concept. I am seeking self-fulfillment and self-enrichment. I have been raised to make my mark on the world and thereby distinguish myself. I enter relationships because they are beneficial to me and exit relationships that cramp my style. I am a consumer of goods, an owner of property, a person with a measurable net worth. I live at an address that is not yours. I vote for political candidates because it is my right to do so. I control my money because I worked for it and am free to spend it as I please.
The gospel message cuts across such a self –serving message and redefines what it means to be human. A new creed is given. It goes something like this: I am a child of God. I am identifiable by my connection to others. I exist in a body that has other members. I am responsible for my neighbors and them for me. I am called to be faithful in performing deeds of love and mercy. I am in relationships that are both draining and energizing. I serve people who do not deserve it because God sends me to them.”
We were not created to live life solo. Since the very beginning, God has been pursuing mankind to come back into an intimate relationship with Him. But our God does not manipulate or force His love upon us, for this would not be love at all. He pursues us in so many ways, but so often he is overshadowed by the god’s we have created in our world – busyness, power, wealth, careers, earthly relationships, hobbies, … The list goes on and on. On a daily basis I have learned to ask myself - “am I striving in my own power or am I striding in the strength of the Lord.
Clergyman Norman Vincent Peale once said – “The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have”. My husband and I experienced this truth during our first tandem race when he suddenly developed a nasty viral cold a few days before the race. As we were being passed by faster bikers most of the race, I humbly realized that the success of our race depended not on my strength, but rather on the team effort of both the captain and stoker.
As Rick Warren stated so eloquently, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. We naturally desire to be self-sufficient, cut off from the life giving vine of Jesus Christ. Each morning before I roll out of bed I have the decision to either surrender my daily agenda into the hands of God or to take matters into my own hands. The question is always before me – in whom will I place my focus and trust?
Over the years God has been my faithful gardener – pruning those unwanted branches of pride and fear that prevent me from producing the fruit of joy and peace in my daily life. Sadly I was not able to make my grape jelly this past year since my harvest suddenly disappeared overnight by the deer and raccoon’s that live in the woods nearby. God desires to produce spiritual fruit in our lives, but sometimes we allow the worries of the world to steal our harvest.
God created us to be humbly connected to the true vine. When you are tempted to break away from the source of life, be reminded of the fruit that God desires to produce. Put your trust in the ultimate gardener of life, who desires to nurture the soil of your heart. Just as gardening has seasons, our soul is like that of a garden. There will be seasons of rest, planting, growth and pruning, but eventually he will produce a harvest that will provide eternal satisfaction.
