Take It All

Well these last few months have been crazy to say the least. Year after year I'm learning that the only thing I can depend on is God and as soon as I begin to depend on anything else, He has no problem turning my world on end to remind me of that.

Yes, life has been very hard over the last few months but this blog isn't to drone on about what's been going wrong- it's to celebrate what has come out of it all. Years ago I was listening to someone read a little devotional book. To this day I don't remember which one but I do remember what he said.
He was talking about how grape vines work. He said any good vine can produce fruit but for it to produce fruit abundantly, you first have to prune the branch down. If you cut off a fruit producing branch, several more will grow in its place.

Lately God has been cutting away my branches. At first I was highly offended by this, thinking to myself "I spend all this dang time doing this stuff; the stuff you told me to do, and now you want to take it away? What the frack?" However, when I think of this story I'm reminded that it's all only temporary and none of it was mine to begin with. God is only taking this stuff away because I've done a good job and He wants me grow more, do more, and become more of what He knows I can be. So when I change my thinking; God no longer has to pull things from my hands. Instead, I offer them up trusting that God is going to continue to bless me and grow me, even when I cannot see it on the horizon.

Today life is still hard. Everyday I'm faced with decisions that I don't know how to make, mountains that I cannot hope to climb, and a restless heart over what is coming, but I keep on. Not for me, but for the glory of God.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

- Galatians 6:9 ESV