As the seconds tick by and the loneliness of the wilderness pounds how unproductive I currently am deep into my mind I am blessed to reflect.I don't know about you but my last few years have been very interesting in terms of my work life. Many people hit a trajectory in their careers that look fairly similar to that of a space shuttle shortly after lift-off. All the pressures increase and before you know it you are 50 years old with three kids, a mortgage and a dog named spike.
My journey thus far has been quite the opposite. During the time of the birth of Jesus, and in that area, the farmers who had vineyards would not allow a vineyard to carry fruit for three years in a row. As soon as the vines would start producing grapes they would prune back the vine and stop it from bearing fruit. After three years the vine grew strong and would be able to carry much larger fruit.
The past five years I have been pruned back a number of times and normally these pruning seasons are accompanied by a period of waiting in which I am not very fruitful. It is truly frustrating because every time I wanted to get going and show of how much fruit I can bear I had to be patient and dig much deeper.
Right now I am exiting such a season and I believe it is time to bear fruit! I guess I first had to make peace with the process and learn a great deal of patience and focus. During the past 5 years my journey has challenged my understanding of work and being productive and it could only have happened because I failed to produce.
Failure is not an option, it is a necessity!
