Jesus, you are the vine.
The whole vine, not merely the trunk.
I am a branch,
a part of the whole,
dwelling in you.
With the other branches
we share the same life;
we are all “alive with your life”
The branch doesn’t know
when she’s bearing fruit.
She doesn’t need to know.
Besides,
the fruit is the fruit of the Vine
not just of the branches.
The Vine trusts the Gardener.
Experience has taught
that His work
brings an increase of life,
not a decrease;
better, more plentiful fruit,
not less.
So, the pain of pruning is borne
though at times,
the “where” the “how”
and even the “why”
remain a mystery.
And what does the branch have to do?
Nothing.
Just be herself: a branch.
She doesn’t even have
to cling on
for dear life
to the trunk.
Fear, anxiety, tension
close her up,
And prevent the life-giving Sap
From coursing through her.All she needs to “do”
Is to remain open
Content to be who and where she is,
allow the Sap to heal,
nourish and renew her,
and reach every fibre of her being.
Eithne Hughes HFB