Cut Vines

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 5:15

“We need to take care of that,” my husband said, gazing at me with expectation.

He knows I’m a Type A woman. Unless he tells me to put something on my list, it never gets done.

You can tell by my gardens. They slipped off the “To Do” list long ago.

The garden by the back door was getting out of hand. Branches of vines snaked their way up the house wall, choking our electric meter and phone lines.

I got out the clippers. In one fell swoop, I cut the bottom of the branches near the vine’s base. Then, I waited.

Life in the garden can sometimes be like life in general. If you’re gonna grow, your branches have got to stay connected to your vine. My vines were cut off. They weren’t going to last long.

After about an hour, the leafy vines were limp. After two hours, they were downright brittle.

After a day, the entire vine with its multiple branches was a pathetic brown.

It didn’t take much force to pull the brittle branches from the wall. Brown leaves and wood stalks scattered everywhere. What a mess.

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Apart from me, you can do nothing.” 

I thought about that verse while I pulled those dried vines away from the wall. Sometimes, I feel as wilted as dead branches.

As a Type A woman, I get so busy and distracted, I forget to talk to my Savior. That’s when I dry up.

I’m a cut-off vine. All those important things I need to hold on to are easily ripped from my hands.

It’s my own fault. Type As tend to lose track of the important stuff in the clutter of  To Do.

I sometimes whip through my day like a crazy woman. I cut myself off from the vine of my faith and then wonder why I end up sagging.

___Did I take time to pray? Nope. Phones to answer.

___Did I stop to think what Jesus would do? Nope. Computer keyboards to pound.

___Did I rest a minute and take a look at the Bible? Nope. Cleanup to be done.

Before I know it I’m a little limp and loosing my grasp on the important stuff. You might just as well tear me down cause I’m pretty useless.

I’m so grateful Jesus is patient with  Type As.

I love the way He helps us understand things. There’s no better illustration than a dead vine that’s lost its cling.

I’m glad I took a minute to clip the vines. This helped me remember what’s important.