“I am the holy vine
Which God my Father tends
Each branch that yields no fruit
My Father cuts away.
Each fruitful branch
He prunes with care
To make it yield
Abundant fruit”
I am a holy vine, rooted in the soil of my creator. Without the nourishment of that soil, I would grow weary. Without the water and light of life provided by Jesus Christ, or the cool air of the Holy Spirit I would perish. All are needed for me to grow.
Sometimes I grow tall and strong, a little too strong and self-sufficient, turning away from the light. Pride deprives me of His light and peace. By the time I realise, I’m in a cold dark place where my growth is stunted and knotted tangled and knarled. I’ve tried to cling onto something true, but in my misdirection all I have grasped to support me and rotten branches or fake supports. I realised it’s time to go back, leaving behind the shoots of growth in the dark. I retreat the sap back to comfort of the light, letting the old ways die off. The creator comes and prunes.
Sometimes I grow tall, fast and leggy! I want to reach for the light! I was to be the first, ahead above all the others. It’s not totally about competition, it just that I can work fast, so fast I grow. The shoots become leggy and thin. Without the sustainance underneath they have no support. Despite their admirable effort, this cannot continue. Too fast growth means valuable lessons missed. It also means these tall long spindles don’t produce fruit. How can the even begin to hold the weigh of it, when then can barely hold themselves up?! If it does produce fruit, the fruit breaks the branch, and is sacrificed, burned out by the fruit. Like the others, these branches need pruning off, and again, the sap returns to the lower plant grounding once again in the provisions of the creator.
Instead of forcing or going off in our own direction, it’s time to grow on the creators time frame. It’s time to trust in Him.
He knows us. He knows our growth. He knows when we need support and ties us to him, binding us as we go. He also ties and binds us to others, who help us along our way.
With him we’re strong enough to bear fruit. Together we hold this. Little yields to begin with. But the more we lean into him with confidence, patience and trust, being supported by him the more we yield.
We have to wary of that pride! It continually wants to send those shoots off in various directions, wants to grow with independence and self-sufficiency redirecting our energy to growth and misdirection rather than fruit. But we know that will eventually lead to burn out, chaos and death.
Each fruitful branch is still prunes with care. The Father has an ever tending watchful eye on us. He sends us winds of the Spirit to restore us, waters of life to quench and revive us.
He asks us to ‘remain in me’ to ‘abide in my love’.
I am the holy vine
Which God my Father tends
Each branch that yields no fruit
My Father cuts away.
Each fruitful branch
He prunes with care
To make it yield
Abundant fruit.
(Hymn- Leonard Bobroski from Morning Office Today)
Words & Images Lisa VO
Inspired by Brother Isaiah: The Vine
