Why "the VINE"?

This past week I was listening to Michael Hyatt on publishing books.  He shared this phrase:  “When you lose your WHY you lose your WAY.”  It might have been a throw away but it has stuck with me.

The Vine is my WHY!

In John 15, Jesus says this: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.”  He goes on to talk about the opportunity we have to be grafted into the true vine that we might bear meaningful fruit.

I love the way he says: “true vine” as if there are many “vines” we might connect to.  It is true.  I see it all around me.  Living in Silicon Valley (or at least near it) I see people wanting to graft themselves into the “Google Vine” or the “Apple Vine” in the hope that they will receive all the nourishment of a salary, retirement and a career path they need.  I see people trying to graft themselves into the vine of family, friends, community service organizations and vacations in a search for lasting meaning and nourishment.  Everyone is looking for nourishment and meaning from some vine hoping to bear fruit that matters.

However, Jesus is the only vine that really works because He is the true vine.  My experience has confirmed this time and again.  In fact I will boldly say that the universe is designed so that connection to the true vine is the only way we find the nourishment, meaning and impact we were created for.  That isn't just true "for me," it is simply the truth.  I want to live a life connected to the vine and I want to help others connect to the vine.  If I say I care about people then helping them find the nourishment and meaning they are starving for is the best I can do.

My WHY: help people get to, graft into, grow into and bear fruit by the True Vine.

With that WHY, I end up with some daily questions:  

- Where am I looking to be nourished other than in Jesus today?

- How will I stay nourished by the vine, by Jesus, today?

- (And a bit rhetorically) What is my WHY for today and will I live by it?