A Fruitful New Year?
Overwhelmed by New Year’s Resolutions
John 15:1-8
I’ve had a recurring dream since childhood. The details vary, but the message remains constant. In my dream, huge waves of black ocean begin to rise and swell. They slowly expand upwards as I watch in dread. I feel the inescapable pull of the undertow current beginning to drag me underneath to whatever dangers wait in the blackness. I scramble to escape, grasping at the sand leeching away beneath me. Whenever I have this dream, I know what it means. I feel engulfed with demands and responsibilities. It signals a warning that my daylight life overwhelms me.
Massive Expectations
“I refuse to release the hope that this might be the year that I achieve the pinnacle of health, well-being, charity, and productivity.”
The beginning of each new year tempts the appearance of this dream for me. On the downhill slide of holiday highs and the breakaway lull from routine, I procrastinate peering ahead. My organizing personality dreads the mountain of tasks to evaluate, collate, designate, delegate, percolate, calculate, and allocate. My mind yearns to wrap it all up with a left-over Christmas bow. I refuse to release the hope that this might be the year that I achieve the pinnacle of health, well-being, charity, and productivity. Will I finally catch the crest of that massive wave of expectations and body surf to the golden shore of success?
Yes, I’ve over-dramatized a bit. But my self-induced pressure of performance makes me grumpy as I stare at my brand-new planning calendar, blank with potential. At my core, I long to fulfill my calling as a follower of Jesus to reflect his image and produce the fruit of worthy deeds. Yet my head swims and swirls with a thousand possibilities. On one side of the whirlpool, I watch the flotsam of good intentions float by in the retreating eddy of last year. On the other side, I envision dreams and desires ready to plunge into the fresh current flowing toward the future. And caught in the middle, I tread water, grasping for a plan and scrambling for solid ground under my feet.
God’s Plan for Fruitfulness
In place of the riptide of chaos and shortcomings, God beckons me toward a different image on dry land. He invites me to a garden instead, where the Gardener tills the sweet-smelling earth warmed by the new sun. From the rich soil of good things, he calls me forth with all those who bear his image. He tasks us, as caretakers, to manage our resources well and bless others in the natural overflow of our relationship with the Giver of Life.
One of my favorite Bible passages plants my feet in the hope of that invitation. It orients my mind away from the anxiety of inadequacy as I respond to the inner longing to honor the desires of the Gardener. The words come from the disciple John as he records the instructions from Jesus on the eve of the crucifixion. Jesus gently prepares his followers to continue his mission. No doubt, they experience “overwhelmed” in the extreme. As they listen, perhaps the stormy Galilean sea begins to rise in the back of their minds—with a memory of dark surging waves threatening to pull them under in the absence of their Master.
The Secret of Fruit-Bearing
As he does with me, Jesus offers the disciples a calmer picture to address their turmoil. He begins:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.” (John 15:1-2)
Jesus shares the secret of fruit-bearing for those overwhelmed with the assignment. First, he reminds the disciples who tends and nurtures the process. The Father plants the Vine of His Son into the earth of humanity. The connected branches, those who take their life and sustenance from the Vine, bear fruit under the Father’s guidance and work. He oversees the vineyard closely. He expertly trims away the parts of the branch that hinder growth to maximize the potential of each budding stem.
Jesus continues with the vineyard imagery and leans in to emphasize the critical component. He clarifies his point with a simple phrase, easy to grab and remembered by the overwhelmed: Remain in me.
“Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, 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)
He repeats that phrase of three words, three times. It’s as if he says: Remember this! If you stay close and cling to me, beautiful and abundant fruit will naturally blossom out of our union. But without Me, nothing that my Father desires from you will grow.
A Promise for Fruitfulness
Jesus wraps up his lesson, repeating the key instruction once again. This time he adds a promise:
"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:7-8)
As we remain united with Jesus in his purposes, the Father provides whatever the branches need to bear the fruit he desires for his glory.
Practical Principles for Fruitfulness:
At the beginning of the New Year, I reflect on this passage once again. I take comfort and peace from Jesus’ message to the disciples. I also glean three principles to help me align with Jesus in his “remain in me” way of fruit-bearing: surrender, oneness, and dependence.
Surrender
First, I will surrender to the Father’s pruning. While it may be painful or unexpected, I know he directs me toward the good works and character he desires to produce in me. As he tends the branch, he will work to remove things that divert energy from his purpose or endanger the quality of the fruit. I may need to discard or change habits, adjust plans according to God’s priorities instead of mine, or submit to his refining pressure. Instead of recoiling in hurt or disappointment when he prunes, I want to cooperate. Whatever my circumstances, I will surrender to the Father’s pruning.
Oneness
Next, I will protect my oneness with Jesus. The productivity of God’s plan flows organically from the life of Christ within me. As my first priority, I will turn to Christ each day—to seek his presence, to take in his word, to listen to what he would say to me, to set my mind on what I know he would desire, and to seek his leading on the details. The burden of the plan does not rest on me. As I focus on remaining in his presence, in thought and intent throughout the day, I follow the steps he places before me. I lean on him to set them in order as they come. Yes, I can plan and organize, but he guides the process, and the results arise from him. I will protect our oneness.
Dependence
Finally, my dependence upon the Vine and the Gardener brings me peace. Whatever I need, he promises to supply me when I ask. And when I don’t know the right thing to ask, the Spirit will guide me. I will find peace in my dependence.
“Remain in Me”
With compassion for the inadequacy we feel in the face of overwhelming expectations, Jesus reaches toward us with an extended hand. He invites us into a safe space: “Remain in me.” What a joy and relief to abide in the life-giving presence of the Vine. As I do, I am pruned for peak efficiency, united for maximum power, and sustained for every resource. The Father-Gardener determines the harvest that he seeks—though I may not recognize, witness, or know of all the fruit. But I have assurance it’s coming, and that it will be glorious. Jesus promised.
I think I’m ready to catch that wave!
How will your New Year’s resolutions look different as a branch of the Vine?
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