Abiding in Him in Every Season
Jesus said, “I am the vine, and my Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1 ESV). In one of His most poignant teachings, Jesus compared Himself to a vine and His followers to its branches. This analogy, while primarily directed at His disciples, holds profound truths for all believers. Understanding the life cycle of a vine and correlating it with our spiritual journey can provide us with a deeper insight into the importance of abiding in Him in every season.
The Fruit Season
The first season is the fruit season, when the vine is heavy with luscious grapes. If you’ve ever seen rows upon rows of grapevines in places like Napa in California, you’ll understand the magnitude of this season. The purple clusters weigh down the branches, leading up to the harvest time when the grapes are picked and processed.
This season can be equated to times in our lives when we are overflowing with spiritual fruit. Our faith is strong, our contributions significant, and we feel closest to God. It’s an awesome season, one which we actually enjoy. It’s a season of fulfilment. However, like the vine, our spiritual journey doesn’t end here.
The Dormancy Season
Once the fruit has been harvested, the vine enters a period of dormancy. It’s winter. The branches that once bore great fruit now lie barren, some becoming old and thick. These branches, despite their past productivity, may no longer bear fruit. This dormant season is a time of introspection, of recognizing what needs to change.
In our faith journey, this can symbolize periods of stillness or doubt, when our spiritual fruit seem scarce. It’s a time of introspection, where we might question our beliefs and reassess our path. Yet, even in this seeming desolation, there is hope and potential for growth. But what will be required of us to help stimulate that growth comes at the very beginning of the next season. It’s called pruning. And God knows not to prune to late in the winter season of our lives as it would negatively impact our fruit bearing.
The Spring Season
The spring season follows dormancy. The gardener trims the old branches and the new vines, preparing them for the next fruit-bearing season. It’s a time of rejuvenation and growth, a promise of plentiful harvest in the future.
In our spiritual walk, this represents periods of renewal and growth. Past struggles and doubts are pruned away, making way for new understanding and deeper faith. If the branches are left unpruned, eventually fruitfulness is affected. God is a faithful vinedresser. Because He desire us to be fruitful, bearing fruit that remains, He will cut back on those things that are in the way of that fruitfulness.
There’s a real danger in the beginning of this season—during the pruning—for us to no longer abide or remain in God’s love (see John 15:9). Why? Because pruning is painful, and we like to avoid pain. We could find ourselves pulling away from God in the pruning process rather than leaning into it. We need to remember that God’s design for pruning is not to destroy but actually to strengthen us.
The Cycle Continues
Galatians 6:9 (ESV) tells us “not to grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” There is a “due season,” my friend. It’s that fruit season. You and I are going to cycle through the seasons again and again. No one season is permanent. Each one only leads to the next. And as we abide in His love and His Word, we will see the fruitfulness result from the perfect pruning the Father has done. As you choose to abide in Him, you’re drawing from His life.
Remember, God is in every season. He is there loving you, sustaining you, pruning you, and developing you. You can trust Him in every season because He is working at seeing you produce much fruit and fruit that remains. Don’t give up. Lean into Him. Allow Him to take you through the cycles of these seasons. Though He desires fruitfulness, keep in mind the goal is abiding in Him.
