Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. 

Branches that don’t grow get cut off and thrown into the fire.

Branches that do grow get pruned to help them grow more. 

But here’s one thing that we don’t talk about as much: POOP.

Grape vines also grow by being fertilized. 

They grow when their tenders pack poop into their soil in the winter months.

Not much looks like it’s happening then. The vines aren’t leafy or bearing fruit. But they are growing. They require food. Fertilizer is that food.

For each vine, 5-10 lbs of poultry or rabbit manure is required. Or, cow manure can be used (5-20 lbs). [1]

They require poop. A lot of poop.

Where does the farmer put it? Not on the branches. Not on the leaves. In the soil.

The vine sucks up the nitrogen and other nutrients through the roots, and distributes them where they are needed.

We, too, receive nutrients from the POOP in our lives, filtered through the roots and vine of our Lord.

The suffering we experience is part of the fertilizer that helps us to grow.[2] At different times of year, the one who tends the vines will apply different types of nutrients depending on the stage of the leaves and fruit. 

But sometimes the poop is what’s needed.

The beautiful thing is that if we remain connected with Jesus, He is our filter. He gives us what we need—no more, no less. He experiences the POOP with us. 

But if we try to strike out on our own (e.g., propagating from a cutting)—if we try to become vines in our own right—we end up with our roots directly in the POOP. No filter. No gentle distribution to meet our needs for growth and nutrition.

How important it is to stay connected to Him! Thank God He doesn’t expect us to do this on our own!

“In Him we live and move and have our being.” 

—Acts 17:28



NOTES

[1] Amy Grant, “Grapevine Fertilizer: When And How To Fertilize Grapes”, Gardening Know-How, Accessed June 5, 2024, https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/grapes/how-to-fertilize-grapes.htm

[2] Our God does not cause abuse and suffering but He does redeem it to nurture and spur us towards maturity.