Remain On The Vine

Author

Wes Schaeffer
May 13, 2020

From today’s reading…

Remain in me, as I remain in you.

Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own

unless it remains on the vine,

so neither can you unless you remain in me.” John 15:4

We’re social creatures. We must belong to something bigger than ourselves to shape/confirm/validate our identities, our thoughts, our actions, and our feelings. It’s in our DNA.

It’s why boys with no fathers at home join gangs. It’s why we tailgate, join Rotary, sing in the choir, or sit home alone and numb ourselves with porn, pot, and playoffs. We need to be a part of something or distract ourselves from our loneliness and isolation.

It’s why there are unions, the KKK, protest marches, and grassroots movements. It’s why single moms get into bodybuilding and single dads get into whatever the college girls are doing.

And our immersion into these fleeting, temporal, shallow ventures is what leads us into either the depths of despair when we recognize how much time and energy we’ve wasted chasing the wind, and/or into the loving arms of our Savior.

I say “and/or” because sometimes we have to hit rock bottom to finally look up at The Vine, The Guiding Light who came to help us find meaning and…

Stay the course. Keep the faith. Endure.

Now go sell something.