Saturday, January 4, 2014

Day Five


  January 5th     

 

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” John 15:1 NIV

 

My grandmother, who had a green thumb and an assortment of flowers, trees, vegetables, and fruits, also had a grapevine.  Sometimes it bore fruit in abundance. Sometimes not.  She would worry over it, afraid to heed guidance about pruning, so not to destroy her plant.

 

Grapevines, like us, require vigorous pruning.  Most of the previous year’s growth can be cut down, fearlessly.  We have to do it with guidance and at the right time.  Too early in the season may allow for the frost to destroy our shoots.  We must be pruned to keep ourselves from becoming overgrown and tangled, and to have a sense of right direction as we grow.   We must be supported and pruned throughout the season by a knowing Gardener.  Without direction, we would go the wrong way, bearing less fruit.  Pruning allows for a strong vine and yielding more fruit.

 

Young grapevines must, from the start, be supported and kept straight as to not break in the wind and elements.  During this time the trunk are forming which will be permanent and last through the plant’s life. 

 

Pray for grace to discern what must be cut from your own life, whether it is a relationship, an addiction, or a certain part of pop culture.  Ask God to reveal to you how to prune so that your energy goes in the proper direction. Ask for grace to help guide the children in your life likewise.   
 

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