I have lived in cities most of my adult life. The older I get, the more I long for the peace and tranquility of the countryside. When I lived in Cape Town, my escape was to the beautiful vineyards of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Durbanville Hills. Living in Washington, DC, we drive to Crow Vineyards in Maryland. The same peace and tranquility await us, especially in fall when the leaves turn to burnished gold, red, and maroon. I long more than ever for peace and tranquility, especially as this election season awaits, and the world has become a scary place in which to live.

Living in Cape Town, I had a grapevine over my patio that provided shade and a pleasant spot for meals with friends. During winter, it would shed its leaves and appear lifeless, but it was merely in a state of rest. To prepare for spring, I pruned old fruiting branches and waited for new ones to grow in summer. This happened every year, each season, the vine grew thicker and stronger. It was always a source of joy and repose to sit out under its shade enjoying the company of friends and neighbors.

I had often wondered what the word ‘abide’ had meant, when Jesus said we were to ‘abide in Him’ as He was the vine we were the branches.  My vine just grew and did what vines do: bear fruit. It was I, the ‘vinedresser’ who had to do the training, pruning, and harvesting to the vine. This is a liberating thought, that we just need to be still and keep connected to our Creator. He is the one who brings the flow of sap and nourishment the vine needs each year to bear fruit. Even more so, there will be different seasons, seasons when we just rest, and seasons when we grow and bear fruit. It is God who sends the rain and the sea breezes to water the vines. In so many ways, we depend on His grace for our environment to flourish. This made me think of the verse from Micah,

“He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.”(4:3,4 ).

Our world is in chaos around us, filling us with dread at what the future holds. We are waiting for the word of the Almighty to speak peace to the nations. Whatever the outcome of our elections and world leader's decisions, we remain dependent on God to speak His peace, so we will be able to sit under our vines in peace.

I fluctuate between feeling helpless to do anything and wanting to take up a cause to fight for justice. This has been a dilemma for people over the centuries. Do we sit in our little hermitage and pray about the state of the world, or do we stand up and shout out for justice in the streets? I was inspired by the mystic Julian of Norwich who lived in a hermitage for twenty years during the fourteenth century. She had three windows in her cell, one looked out onto the church keeping her connected to her faith and so she could receive communion, another window was where others ministered to her personal needs, food, and personal care. Through the third window, she connected with the community, inquiring about their lives, listening, praying, empathizing, and offering words of encouragement. I often feel like Julian in my tiny room in this city! Cloistered away, yet feeling the pain of the world we are living in, not able to do anything about it, except ask for God’s mercy in our times.

What lessons can we learn from the vine to live a more fulfilling and abundant life? To me, the seasonal aspect of the vine has become more important, taking time to be quiet, letting your roots grow, and preparing for the next season. Also important is unnecessary branches are trimmed off before the new season. A time to consolidate all that is important and required, letting go of the excesses, that keeps new growth back. Not every season’s wine is a good year, a lot depends on the weather and diseases, things outside of our control. So it is with us. There will be times when we won’t have a good year and be productive. There are award-winning years and years when illness and other things hold us back.

The most important thing is that we are still rooted and abide in Christ, the main Vine. We are merely branches. The Creator is the one who takes care of the vineyard, so we can rest and know that one day we will all be able to sit in peace under our vine and invite others to join us and celebrate the life we have been given.

Let me know how you see the Vine and the vineyard. I will love to know other’s perspectives on it. I hope you enjoyed mine and the picture and poem I created to go with it. To see these, you will need to sign up for my newsletter.

If you would like to explore more about environmental rejuvenation, spiritual harmony, and sustainable living in our journey towards a brighter, greener future. In the months ahead, I will share a poem, featuring a specific tree or plant, and a painting with you. Please subscribe to my monthly newsletter as I will feature the poem in it. Additionally, I can offer you a coloring poster to help you identify your needs, boundaries, weeds, and future seeds. This is a meditative exercise, giving you time to slow down and think about these things. Get this here.