I spent the first three months of this year grinding toward a word God gave me and completely missing what He meant by it.
That misunderstanding cost me more than time. It cost me peace.
My word for the year is cultivate. I chose it back in January because I felt like God was telling me to tend what had been planted, to put in the work, nurture the seeds from last year, and grow something from them. So that's what I did. I rolled up my sleeves. I pushed. I strived.
By the end of Q1, I was more burnt out, more tapped out, more exhausted than I've been in a long time. I felt overly burdened and I couldn't figure out why. I was doing the work. What was wrong?
Turns out I had the word right. I just had the role wrong.
The Vine Dresser
A couple of Thursdays ago I was at a Faith Driven Entrepreneur prayer meeting, and someone read John 15:1–8:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser." — John 15:1 (ESV)
Jesus is the true vine. We are the branches. And God is the vine dresser.
I'd read that passage before, but this time one word stopped me: vinedresser. Some translations say "gardener," but the ESV uses vinedresser. I looked up the Google definition (Yes I still Google things). A vine dresser is someone who prunes, trains, and cultivates the vine.
Prunes. Trains. Cultivates.
There was my word. I had assumed it was my job, but no, it’s what God is going to do this year.
I Had It Backwards
I had spent the first three months of the year operating as if I was the one who needed to cultivate. As if the growth depended on my effort, my strategy, my striving. I did it unintentionally, but the weight of it was heavy.
But, God is the one who cultivates. He is the vinedresser. He prunes what needs to go. He trains what needs to grow. He cultivates in me what He desires from me, and all of it flows from one thing: staying connected to the true vine.
That changes everything.
The unbearable weight of controlling outcomes in my own limited strength was never meant for me to carry.
The Yoke We Keep Forgetting
Jesus said it plainly:
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." — Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV)
Jesus has borne the weight we could not bear, and frees us to do our best work.
If you aren't familiar with raising livestock (I didn't grow up on a farm), a yoke is bore by two oxen to do work together. Often they paired a weaker ox with a stronger ox. Jesus bears the yoke we can't carry on our own, and lifts us up to work alongside Him.
And He offers rest. To those who are weary from labor, our own toiling, and heavy laden, suffering outside of our control, He says, "I will give you rest."
This rest is for our souls. A peace that passes all understanding. The kind that comes from abiding on the vine rather than separated, white-knuckling a fallen dead branch.
What This Means Going Forward
As I step into Q2, I'm holding the same word, cultivate, but with open hands instead of clenched fists. I've been grafted into the vine. I've been adopted into God's family. I am connected to the source of Truth and Life. And because of that, I am no longer afraid of failure, because I trust God with the outcome.
My job? Abide in Jesus the True Vine.
God's job? Cultivate.
My Prayer for You
My prayer is that you take this to heart: God is the vinedresser.
As you seek and abide in the true vine, Jesus Christ, God is going to prune you. He is going to train you. He is going to cultivate in you the fruit He designed you to bear.
May God bless you with an abundance of Fruit!
"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." — John 15:5 (ESV)
He Has Risen!
Jacob Dyke - Executive Coach @ Anchor Coaching
Missed a previous post? The Anchored Entrepreneur
