Skip to main content

Finding Life Among the Living

Image
By design#860

I recently clipped a flowering branch off a tree in our yard.  I thought I could keep it blooming so that I could take a photo of it.  Within minutes, cut away from the branch and without water, it wilted.  The photo opportunity faded. The beauty of the branch was gone as the life it held evaporated. 

And so, it is with us.  Can we truly live if we are cut off from the vine?  If we are separated from God, where do we go to get life?  Where do we go to stay alive?  To have breath and to live in the splendor and truth of how we’ve been created?  

The blooms on the branch looked radiant while attached to the tree.  The collective display was grand, a picture of its purpose.  It reflected beauty, grace and God’s glory in nature.

Then I looked at the wilted branch I had collected and the flowers on it. They were dead.

In Luke 24:1-7, we read about the women who went to Jesus’ tomb and when they arrived, found the tomb empty.

…very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.  They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.  So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.  As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

And it struck me, how often do I look for life in things or places that are dead? 

How often am I seeking my identity in things that don’t bring life to me?  Yes, I love creating art, writing, reading, etc., but what of these things?  They are good things!  But if I don’t stay connected to the vine, if I don’t look to the Life Giver, there is no point to those things.  As I live connected to HIM, I can create and I can enjoy “things” as long as I remember that my identity is rooted in Christ.  In the Living Christ.

So, I pray I can stay connected.  Connected to the vine, to God who is the truth of my life.  That I may be a part of a collective picture, giving glory to Him who created the essence of who I am.  And living in the truth of HIS love for me.  This is where I find LIFE!  This is where you will find life!  

And I also pray I can catch myself drifting, looking for substance in dead things.  

Look around and you will find a reminder of God's love for you. The vision of the tree is my reminder to stay connected.  Receiving life to give life.

“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







Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Everybody Loves a Good Fight

By
I’ve gotten into two fights in my life.  I know, hard to believe.  But I can remember them clearly.  One was with Cathy, who lived two doors down from my grandmother’s house.  I was probably around 8 or 9 years old.  Cathy was mean and a thorn in my side.  She was also the only other kid on the block who I could play with.  I don’t know exactly how the fight started, but I can remember the final scene and how it all played out.  I towered over her as she lay on the grass, pinned in a helpless position.  She cried for mercy and I let her go.  She flew home and that was the last time she bullied me.  The other time was in sixth grade.  I was friends with Rosie; at least I thought I was.  She accused me of breaking her compass and told me that she was going to beat me up after school.  I was shaking in my boots the rest of the school day.  I wondered how I could avoid the ordeal.  I wished I had someone that co...
3 comments
Read more

Baby steps to Big Girl Dreams

By
My heart was racing.  I had a tug inside of me to make a call to the local community college to inquire about teaching a continuing education class.  I had always had a desire to teach, and the bubbly stir inside of me kept pushing me to act.  My only problem was that  the conversation in my head made me want to run and hide.  But the stir was so very strong.  I had to do something.  And then I remembered a teaching I had just heard by Joyce Meyer.  She spoke about fear and how it can grip your life.   Her solution was simple.  She said, "Whatever you need to do, do it afraid."   A light blub moment !   Her words interrupted that internal conversation, and pushed me to make a choice and shift my thinking.  I marched to the phone....afraid....and made the call to the college.  I asked if they were in need of instructors and before I knew it,  one thing led to another.  By the end of the call, I ...
4 comments
Read more

What I learned in March

By
Another day of snow.  The amount we'd been getting was absurd.  But this one particular day, there was an amazing snowfall.  Even though I really, really wanted to complain, I just couldn't.  It was way to beautiful.  As I drove to work, I looked at the trees along my route.  Each covered perfectly with a velvety ribbon of white.  Just amazing.  How could I possibly complain?  So as I drove, I took it all in.  Any other day, maybe the snow would not have received such a welcome, but this day, it did.  I decided to celebrate instead of complain.  So what happened?  Well, my disposition changed.  Since then, I focused on a simple prayer.  Lord, change me.  Three little words.  Because when it comes down to it, the driver for my mood is my attitude, my perspective, my thinking...all of it.  Learning and saying these three little words was a huge graduation for me.  It gave me a sense of peac...
3 comments
Read more