Hand Picked

Our garden is quite small this year, but it has still been very fruitful. With relocating this past May and welcoming our 4th child a month later, a garden wasn’t high on our to dos. Despite this, I’ve enjoyed several servings of fresh green beans, baked squash, juicy watermelon, and crunchy cucumbers to top my salads.

It brings me so much joy to go out early with my cup of coffee in hand to see the growth that has taken place in just a nights sleep.

Our little patch of dirt we tend to is a daily reminder of how blessed we still are to live in a country with access to fresh produce and having the adequate means to purchase it. Not to mention the fact that we can even legally grow our food at all. In the mist of the chaos that surrounds us today, God still provides all of our daily needs.

If all goes as expected, we are to close on our new home in just 11 short days. Moving our belongings, this time just five miles down the road and no longer 35 weeks pregnant, I’m almost certain it will be a much simpler process.

In preparation for our upcoming move, I spent some time in the garden today. Ironically we have just enough pumpkins for each member of our family. Six. These pumpkins don’t know it yet, but they will soon be picked regardless of their size. Along with my family, our dog Maisie, and hens, these pumpkins plan to be the first thing we move! It will be such a delight to see them on our new porch steps as we begin to make this place our home.

To help them along with growing as big as they can, I decided to prune the pumpkins vines today.

Pumpkin vines are prickly and they also end up in a giant mess once they all have grown together, making it a difficult task following the vine to the root. With a little sweat on my brow, I managed to prune the vines, worked the dirt to cover some of the exposed roots, and watered each of them with some plant food.

As I was doing this, I couldn’t help but relate these pumpkins and their vines to my own growth in Christ.

The vines attached to the root that weren’t producing any fruit were just depriving the vine that was. The vine following the fruit was just wasted vine being fed that didn’t need to be.

How true this is to our own lives. Often times we are guilty of holding on to material possessions, relationships, addictions, and anything that’s restricting our spiritual growth with God. Just as with the fruitless vines, these things we worship are robbing us from experiencing life to the fullest on earth with Jesus.

As I was pruning away, I took great caution to know where I was cutting. Knowing all well if I were to cut the vine in the wrong place, it would no longer allow the pumpkin to receive the nutrients it needs to continue to grow.

Jesus tells us, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:5‬

What an amazing promise. If we are in Christ Jesus, we will bear MUCH fruit! We will find our joy in Him. We can have hope for what lies ahead knowing Jesus has defeated darkness forever more.

With this awesome reminder also comes a tragic reality. Apart from Him, we can do NOTHING. If we don’t live a life acknowledging Jesus is who holds our eternities, then what hope do we have? Apart from Him, we are spiritually Dead. Broken. Nothing.

So although we are still in the world for this short time, we can press forward if we have faithfully proclaimed Jesus as our Savior.

My friends my hope is you will prune those vines in your own lives that are keeping you from growing with Christ. The process can be painful, but we can take heart knowing Jesus promises there will be indescribable joy for His children who persevere to the end.

Prune the vines. Walk with Jesus. There is joy and hope to be found in Him and Him alone.

Sincerely,

-Abby