My son commented last night on the stack of books by my bed. He announced I had too many books in my pile. Crazy kid. Is it even possible to have too many books? Now that the library is allowing you to pick up books you’ve placed on hold I’ve got a stack of reading. During the school year, I don’t have as much time to read. Summer, therefore, begins a reading marathon. Some books are novels for fun, quick reads. Others are educational, on a topic like health or teaching or parenting and then there is the one chapter a day kind of books that require consideration. I refer to this group as my personal growth stack. So as a general rule I am reading two to three books at a time. Blame my mother, I used to think she was crazy with a book in every room. I now understand a little better and apparently have inherited her love of books.

Currently, forty percent of the way through Beth Moore’s latest book, Chasing Vines. It’s a book that asks you to sit with each chapter. It’s a book that demands reflection and thought. As I am learning about vines and grapes I am also learning about living an immensely fruitful life. Who doesn’t want an immensely fruitful life?
In chapter seven Beth quotes British author Jamie Goode:

“Give the grapevine a favorable environment and it will choose to take the vegetative route: That is, it will put its energies into making leaves and shoots. Effectively, it is saying, “this is a fine spot, I’m going to make myself at home here.” It won’t be too bothered about making grapes. But make things difficult for the vine, by restricting water supply, making nutrients scarce, pruning it hard and crowding it with close neighbors, and it will take the hump. It will sense that this is not the ideal place to be a grapevine. Instead of devoting itself to growing big and sprawling, it will focus its effort on reproducing itself sexually, which for a vine means making grapes.”
Jamie Goode

Let’s process that for a minute.
Harsh conditions produce the best grapes.

Beth Moore wrote an entire book that goes into way more details about the connection of the grapevine and living a fruitful life. I’ve only begun to process this story. So by no means do I feel an expert in this. Yet as I read this chapter my eyes may have been a little watery. In light of all that is happening in our world let’s just sit and talk about the idea of harsh conditions causing a vine to produce grapes. No one wants the rocky soil, no one asks for the journey with job loss, cancer, chronic illness, loss, pain, the grief. We attempt to avoid those things if at all possible. For some hard journey’s bring out the worst. They bring out anger and bitterness, resentment. But for others, they choose to take those hard journeys and produce amazing fruit. Beautiful things are born out of pain and loss. Foundations and charitable organizations are formed to serve others. Books are written, songs are written, art is created. People give out of their brokenness, lifting others up and creating beautiful fruit from harsh conditions.

We now all have an opportunity to choose. We are all living in what we can reasonably refer to as harsh conditions. All varying degrees and facing a variety of challenges. But let’s face it if you are not impacted by pandemic life or racial injustice or political debate you must be so incredibly isolated. So let’s ask ourselves.

What kind of fruit are we going to produce?

And before we come up with all sorts of impossible obstacles or find ourselves guilt-ridden because we can’t do big things. Remember, producing fruit starts right at home. If you have children how are you helping them to navigate life these days? Your children might just be the greatest gift you give the world. How are you loving your neighbors? We are not all called or gifted to change the world in big, noticeable ways. But we are all capable of making a big difference in small ways right where we are at.