The green leaves twisted around the vine and the metal frame, stretching toward the blue sky. I watched as the gardener stood on the ladder, closely examining every branch. Her hands worked quickly but carefully as she went through the branches. Some vines were heartening, tiny buds holding the promise of fruit in the near future, while others were dry, lacking any hope of life.

Several branches were trimmed and snipped in numerous places, cleansed of deformities and pests that threatened to destroy the plant. Yet I watched on as she threw down the brittle, dry branches that refused to feed off of the thick, life-giving vine. One by one, they fell to the earth; cut away from the vine, cut away to their end. 

It was a powerful illustration, really. She finished by sweeping the ground, raking the fallen branches into a pile and carrying them to the stack of firewood. Perfectly dry. Perfectly bare. Firewood.

“If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” John 15:6

I’m sure the gardener didn’t know it, but John 15 came to life for me right then. Jesus’ words echoed in my heart, loud and clear, “abide…abide in me…I am the vine, you are the branches…by this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit…abide in my love.” 

The verses raced through my heart as the garden scissors worked. God the Father trimmed away the shoots of pride, arrogance, and vanity that had found root in my soul. He clipped away the questions that fed doubt and pruned the desires that blocked dependency on Him. He straightened my gaze and lifted the haziness. By the end, it didn’t matter that it hadn’t rained for weeks and the gardeners were worried. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know how long it would take to see fruit from ministry, or even what the future months held for our family. All that mattered was obedience to the Life-Giver, because both the grapevines and my heart need growth in order to be strong and vibrant and green, bursting with fruit.