tending to myself

"Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For the Lord God is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation

Therefore you will joyously draw water
From the springs of salvation."

Isaiah 12:2-3

This morning is reserved for drawing from the well.
Myriads of activity and the demands of life tend to pry me away from abiding. One can only feast on yesterday's bread for so long, and then bingo: the crusts are stale, the squeaky wheel needs the oil which only comes from heaven, and the tank is dry. (I'm sure I pulled into God's driveway on mere fumes this morning.) Running on empty is a precarious venture and one I don't recommend, based on personal experience.
At last I was able to review Sunday's message on "Abiding in the Vine", and it was well worth revisiting! As I type, my eyes drift to our soggy grape vines in the side yard. As a novice in growing grapes, I experimented with pruning last season. Two-thirds of our vines were given significant hair-cuts. One-third was left to run wild. Guess which section bore fruit this fall? (See my flick for rows of golden grape jelly....) This visual illustration, more vivid than the Sunday School flannel-graphs from my childhood, is the view from my kitchen window. The Gospel of John, chapter 15, is a lovely meditation, and one that turns dirty dishes into gold. I invite you to try this experiment (at my house) anytime.
There are many more things to say about wells and vines. But someone else can say them (or write them) today. I've got a bucket and I've got pruning shears. Hauling and snipping are my lot this morning, and I will whistle while I work.