I am a Branch of the True Vine

If you’ve spent any amount of time with toddlers, then you’ve probably heard them say “I do it” or “(insert name) do it.” To which I inwardly think, “Ok. You can’t even form a grammatically correct, three-word sentence, but I’ll let you try this on your own.” My wife and I heard it with our four children when they were young. Sometimes, the statement was made again with more force and volume.

So, why do I bring this up? It's a prime example of small children learning to exert their independence from Mom and Dad. 

In a very real sense, part of the role of a parent is to raise their children to become differentiated. To be differentiated means that a child, who was once completely and wholly dependent upon their parents for protection and provision, learns to become separate and distinct from their parents. The “Failure to Launch Syndrome” is a categorization that describes young adults who have trouble becoming self-sufficient and fulfilling adult responsibilities.  

Biblically, parents are intended to teach and raise children in such a way that they become followers of God, independent of their parents’ oversight (see Deuteronomy 6, Proverbs 22:6). This is good and right. But in the process of learning to be independent, we often become totally self-sufficient. This was never the intended order of creation.  

God is the Creator, Provider and Sustainer of all life, and His intention was that His people would steward creation under His continued authority, provision, and guidance. The Fall came about because of a desire to live life on their own terms (see Genesis 1:26-3:24). Adam and Eve said, “I do it,” resulting in a breakdown of relationship and spiritual death. Since then, everything in this world system, along with the lies of the enemy and our own flesh, pushes us toward this learned independence.  

The poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley sums up an independent spirit so well. I’d highly encourage you to read the full thing if you never have, but I'll just state these familiar lines here:

It matters not how strait the gate, 
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

Frank Sinatra sang the same sentiments in the song “My Way.” The final stanza puts it this way: “For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has not… To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels. The record shows I took the blows and did it my way.” 

The main theme of these pieces of art is that, despite circumstances beyond my control and everything that seeks to break me, I am unconquerable. I am in control of my life.   

Ironically, Henley died at 53 from tuberculosis of the bone. And while Sinatra is seen as an icon of American music, doing things his way left a trail of broken marriages, an FBI investigation, and violent confrontations with people at times. 

The great problem is that self-sufficient independence is completely contrary to how Jesus said we are designed to live.  

The apostle John records Jesus saying: “Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.” (John 15:4-5, HCSB) 

Jesus is the perfect example of this. He often took courageous action, but it always came from His Father’s guidance and provision. He never did anything except what His Father directed (John 5:19), and no one was able to harm him until it was the perfect time (see Luke 4:28-30, John 8:58-59). When the time came for Him to be our sacrifice, Jesus faced the greatest trial ever through perfect submission to His Father’s will. He, under the Father’s guidance and provision, conquered sin, death, and Satan. And in Him, He has made us more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).

As a result, no matter the circumstance, we are able to produce fruit when we stay connected to the True Vine, Jesus.

Dorothy Day wrote a poem to reflect a biblical worldview in response to Henley’s “Invictus.”  She called her work “Conquered” (again, I’d encourage you to read the full poem, but for our purposes, I’ll just state her final lines):

I have no fear though straight the gate
He cleared from punishment the scroll.
Christ is the Master of my fate!
Christ is the Captain of my soul!

Dear Saints, as we face the circumstances of this world, it’s so tempting to rely on our own strength and understanding to navigate them. But let’s remember that we were not designed to be self-sufficient. We were designed to be connected to and dependent on the One who is Life. As we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit and find true significance. 

Stand firm beloved! (1 Corinthians 15:58).