As I have been in isolation now for one week and two days (but who's counting), I have felt like I am crazy. I am an introvert and should be loving this solitude but I find myself missing the outdoors. I guess it's true what they say that you want what you can't have. It's like the serpent taunting Eve with the forbidden fruit, you know that it is going to taste so good, but is not going to be good for you.
During this time I have been filling my time with reading, learning, and videos. Today I took in a great webinar "A Conversation with Beth Moore and Jennie Allen" This will make the title of today's blog have more meaning. Beth and Jennie were talking about how Jesus is with us through the good times and the bad times. The part of the webinar that resonated with me intensely was when Beth was talking about how grapes grow best.
Apparently grapes grow best when they are under stress. What? That's what I said! When grape seeds are placed on rocky soil the stress of the rocks helps the grapes to grow better then if you plant them on nice, comfy soil. Wait huh? Wasn't it stated in the Bible that seed planted on rocks don't grow? Yep right there in Matthew 13: The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. Again in Mark 4: Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away.
I know right, but the grapes grow best in rocky soil, the stress placed on the seeds tends to yield fruit best, but don't get me wrong it does take more then that. They have to be watered and fed. That is where the gardener comes in. His loving, careful gardening allows these grapes to grow.
This is where the title comes in, I am a grape. I am a grape in the vineyard of God where he loves to harvest and care for those that are on his vine. John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes[a]so that it will be even more fruitful.
So while this time of quarantine seems like the rocky soil, we must remember that we can still be fruit bearing. So during this time you can choose to be the seed that falls on the rocks and sprouts a bit only to dry up when faced with hard times, or you can be that plump, juicy grape full of joy on the vines and being fruitful. My question to you is which seed are you going to be?
I am a Grape
Heather
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