Pruning the Vine

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." ~JESUS

As a child we would drive from California to Washington almost once a year to see my Grandparents. I would watch the fields of grapevines tick past the window like a giant flipbook. I loved the symmetry and endless rows of vines in training. Each stem was perfectly straight and each were a set distance from the other. There were whole fields where the vines had white tubes around the stem to aid in thier training. They made for the most interesting patterns as they fluttered past the window. When I read this verse I couldn't help but to think about those trips.

The younger vines were pruned sparingly. They were treated with the utmost care and patience. Each branch was pulled taut but not tight across the wires. They reminded me of when I first came to know Jesus. God clipped off the obvious branches in my life that weren't bearing fruit and surrounded me with His care.

As I grew in faith the prunings became more painful. Some of those fruitless branches had grown quite long and I was very attached to them. It was then that God showed me an old vineyard. The vines were pruned back so severely that it was a wonder they were even still alive. The stems were thick and come harvest time they were dripping with fruit. It was then that I realized that without the pruning the vines would stop producing. I needed to submit myself to the vinedresser if I wanted to bear fruit.

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..."