This series of devotionals spanned over a three-year period of my life. I wrote out truths that God shared with me throughout every season of this process. I love how he brought this all together, and I pray that you will receive encouragement from what he has allowed me to experience. Praise His Name!
I am in an in-between place in my life right now. I'm not here or there. I'm at the halfway mark. At least, I hope I am. I'm unsure yet because I can't see the end or the finish. I know I'm working toward something. I just can't see what the something is. This place can sometimes be referred to as the waiting period, the meanwhile time, or the in-between. Whatever you'd like to call it, I'm there.
Even though I'm here, there is still plenty to do, a ton to learn, and work to be done. Unfortunately, it's the kind of work that is underground. Right now, there is no tangible evidence of the work to see, and it feels like I'm killing myself for nothing. Can I get a witness?
This is what discourages me. This is what makes it hard. This is why we sometimes quit. The in-between is not fun. Sometimes, while we are here, we tend to forget that this is the place where the Lord is doing the majority of His work.
I was reading John 15 this week—the famous lesson about the vine and branches. I've heard it a million times, and you probably have heard it, too, but it meant something new to me. A fresh word that I needed to hear in this in-between season. Jesus says,
"I am the vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." John 15:1-2
If you were to look up the pruning process of grapevines (which I did because I'm a nerd, and that's how I love to study the Bible), you would learn a lot of amazing facts. The most interesting to me is that it takes three years for a new vine to have the potential to produce grapes.
Three years! And that is just for the potential for production.
With this series of devotionals over the in-between, we will examine some words of wisdom from the friendly grape grower at the website grapegrowingguide.com to help explain this fascinating process and hopefully offer some encouragement for those of us who may be in the midst of the in-between.
Here is the author's intro:
"Don't let this scare you. Most new grape growers fail because they do not prune enough. It's really simple, pruning and training are performed in order to optimize the production potential of the grape vine."
I've got to tell you, I get this author. I burst out laughing at the opening sentence. I love that it starts with not being scared! To some degree, we are all scared of the process of spiritual pruning. The Bible refers to this as suffering. We understand that cutting away any part of us hurts. But look at the last sentence, which states it is to optimize production. To bear fruit, things will be cut off.
Listen to the author of Romans:
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance." Romans 5:3
Take this truth to heart and let it encourage you. Only vines that have been pruned can persevere to produce fruit.
Only vines that have been pruned can persevere to produce fruit.
This is true. It is not popular or fun, but if you want to produce fruit, you must be pruned. You have to cut away the unnecessary so that what remains is optimized for production. I can't forget that the reasoning behind this is so that I will be even more fruitful.
There is more to discuss because of the three years' worth of pruning! But we'll get to that next time. Just for today, and just what I needed, and maybe you did, too, is that this work that sometimes seems so very hard and not worth the effort will be someday. God is laying a foundation for optimal fruit-bearing, and in the process, He is stripping away things that hinder us.
Here is what I'm going to do in light of this truth: Embrace the in-between. You heard me! I'm going to wake up every day and recognize that this place is God's will for me right now. I've got Peter to back me up.
"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:6-7
Take comfort in these words. The in-between is doing something greater than we could ever imagine!
All grape growing quotes from http://www.grapegrowingguide.com/grape-pruning.html
All scripture from NIV, ESV, and NLT translations.
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