Treasures In The Vine
As you cling to the Vine and walk in the sweetness of your destiny, no doubt there will be testings in the walk.
You can find treasures in the Vine as you abide in Him!
I felt this test in regards to my children last week as they spent the whole week away with a dear friend at a Christian Retreat Center in the North Georgia mountains.
Simply put, it’s an issue of the heart, stirring emotions from deep within me.
Let’s get real. I have faced times of battling a depression that wants to choke out the very joy and life in me. Part of this comes from my deepest heart needs, that I know, can only come from my relationship with Jesus.
At the root of this is a need to be loved, to be wanted, to be included, to used by God, to be affective, to truly be in the “sweet spot” of life.
As amazing as my husband God has given me is, he can’t fill that need. As amazing as the children God has blessed me with, they
are not meant to meet fill these desires. As awesome as the covenant friends and connections God has brought into my life, they are not supposed to meet these emotional needs. Even my work for the most ideal client and friends cannot truly make the being in the Vine complete.
Only Jesus can fill the holes in my heart.
This struggle became so apparent to me one day this past week when Anna and William were away. I see them grow in the Lord and my heart wants to burst.
Dave and I were cleaning out my son William’s closet as Dave made a desk for him out of shelves. I could not believe how he had grown out of his smaller size clothes as shuffled through his drawers.
“What is happening here Lord?” My mind raged. “They are growing up too fast!”
William is this steady, gentle, and strong little man. I’m amazed at how sensitive he can be and so in touch with who he is in God. He is no longer a little boy who would come to me as a toddler and say, “Hold you!”
Then there is my daughter Anna. She is 17 years old. I still can’t believe that as I type that number. Even as a young toddler, Anna would always “hang” with me. If I wanted to watch golf on TV, she’d sit on my stomach and play. If I have to run errands for Dave, she is always quick to jump in the car to keep me company. She is not ashamed to “hang-out” with me now, even though at times I might embarrass her by my (at times) geeky or silly behavior.
Anyway, I was tickled pink that they got out of the house to a place they love, with a friend they adore, but I still had to experience these places in my heart that ached.
I know God was calling me on the carpet, of sorts.
“Where is your treasure Tee?” I heard Him Whisper. “It must be Me alone, child. You can only walk whole as you make Me the dominant love.”
Simple enough. So I take my love and pour it out on Him. He becomes my true pleasure. I abide and rest in His timing for my life. He is able to meet the needs to the point of overflowing. And it’s at that point one can truly be found, In The Vine, in the sweet spot of destiny.
Let Him be your treasure today and leave your destiny, your desires, your needs in His Hand. In the secret place, you will find all you need for rest, joy, peace, and relationship.
“Lord, I have chosen You alone
as my inheritance.
You are my prize, my pleasure,
and my portion.
I leave my destiny and it’s timing
in Your Hands.
Your pleasant paths lead me
to pleasant places.
I’m overwhelmed by the privileges
that come with following you.” Psalm 16:5 tpt
“The rarest treasures of life
Are found in His truth,
I prize God’s Word like
Others prize the finest gold.
Nothing brings the soul such sweetness
As seeking His living Words.” Psalm 19:10 tpt