Good Fruit
Recently, I watched the film Bottle Shock. The movie is based on true events surrounding the early days of California wine making and the blind Paris wine tasting of 1976. While watching the film, I learned that struggling vines make better wine. After further research, I learned that if you take a grapevine and make its physical requirements for water and nutrients easily accessible, it will produce poor grapes. Given a favorable or comfortable environment, the vine will choose to take the vegetative route and put its energies into making leaves and shoots, rather than grapes. Therefore, it is better to allow the vine to be subjected to struggle in order to produce great fruit.
It’s been some time since I posted. I guess I’ve been busy. Busy and distracted with the struggles of this season of life.
Fall is my favorite season. Summer, however, seems to be most popular. There’s a sense of vigor and energy in the air. The sun beams with warmth; it shines with brilliance. The world flourishes beneath its rays. Summer is a season that brings joy and laughter. It offers time to reenergize and relax.
In contrast, winter brings a persistent numbness of body and mind. It brings blistering winds and freezing temperatures. There’s a lingering darkness that slowly fades and quickly resurfaces, suffocating the sun each day. Winter drags.
Although, on occasion, the sky bursts with a gentle white confetti floating down and settling peacefully upon the ground. And once arranged, one flake upon the next, a reflection of light skips along the surface gleaming with the magnificent glory of the sun. And though it is short-lived, it’s glimmering beauty is both memorable and matchless.
The seasons of life seem to follow in similar patterns. Seasons of struggle can envelope us in cold, and sometimes dark, thoughts. They tend to overwhelm us with feelings of numbness, disappointment, and anxiety. Sometimes we just want, we just NEED, to cry. I hate crying, but pop in The Notebook or The Shack and it’s the waterworks. But in the midst of our struggle, hope can break through the darkness. It reflects off the snowy surface of our pain, reminding us of the sunny, joy filled moments still to come.
If we were not forced at times to experience struggle, we would produce bad fruit or no fruit at all. We would be unable to approach our seasons of summer with a sense of gratitude. And although my current season has it’s hardships, I am hopeful for what is to come. I am thankful that I will be able to enjoy those moments even more because of struggles I have endured to get there. I want to cherish those moments remembering that seasons change. Winter will return. While seasons of struggle are difficult, one thing is for certain - I would rather produce good fruit than no fruit at all.