Vine and Branch

May 13th, 2012 Posted in writing

When we look to measure how we’re doing in life, we often look to our achievements. Those things that we have accomplished for ourselves, our families, our communities or our professions are the kinds of things we’d like to be remembered for. They are signs of a fruitful life.

But in his image of himself as the vine and us as the branches, Jesus suggests we shouldn’t be worried about the specifics of our lives’ fruitfulness. Instead, we should pay attention to our connection with him because if this is not solid, then we will ultimately produce nothing. The fruitfulness of the branches depends on their connection to the vine.

We may be full of generous desires to do great things for God; we may want to better the lives of our brothers and sisters. Still, the most important thing is our connection with Christ. If that is strong, then we can rest assured the fruitfulness will come.

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  2. By Pat Ostrander on May 24, 2012

    To take the metaphor a step further, just as we need to reflect on our connectedness to “the Vine,” we should also look out to the branches that grow out from our branch of the vine. Are we allowing the life to flow through us from the root of the vine to the outer branches? Are the people we touch able to fully flower and be fruitful because of us, or perhaps more importantly, because we act as an active conduit of the nourishment (faith and gifts) we receive from “the Vine?” Or, are the branches that we touch withering because we impede that life flow?

    So, yes, we need to look back to the Vine, and in so doing, improve the health of all the branches we touch.

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