Can’t. Keep. Up.
Have you ever had one of those days/weeks/months? You know: the kind where you just feel like you simply… Can’t. Keep. Up.
You put one fire out and another one erupts a few yards away. The smoke makes your eyes water and your resolve weaken. You make one person happy and barely have time to celebrate before the sinking feeling sets in that someone else is not so content. You meet one need only to be overwhelmed by a half-dozen more.
Each day I wake up thinking that this might be the day I’ll check everything off on my to-do list; complete every task; accomplish every objective; change the world.
Maybe tomorrow will be that day.
I just… Can’t. Keep. Up.
I’m a typical human doing. Flustered by the fact that my superpowers haven’t arrived yet. Surprised for the millionth time that I am still an imperfect, incomplete reflection of my Maker; a circus-mirror version of the one who made me in his image. I move so quickly I miss the moment; ignore the voice; impatiently push aside the unexpected because I need to hurry off to roll up my sleeves and fail again.
Can’t. Keep. Up.
Then I pause. Breathe. Smirk at myself and my silliness. And I remember what Jesus said.
I’m going to include it below. It’ll take you a couple of minutes to read. You know, maybe you don’t really have time. Maybe you should get back to pretending to keep up.
If not, here goes:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples (John 15:1-8 – NIV).
Did you catch that? “Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." "Apart from me you can do nothing."
If I stay enveloped in the presence of Jesus, my life will be fruitful. If I run frenetically off to do my own thing, I’ll be like a branch that’s thrown away, withering in the middle of my busyness, dying apart from Christ – waiting to be burned by all those fires around me I was hoping to put out today.
Don’t. Have. To. Keep. Up. Just have to stay close to him.
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