Tethered

“When we are connected to our life giving source in Jesus, we flourish, and His goodness nourishes us, allowing us to bear fruit for those around us to see.”

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are 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 done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:5-8 NIV

A year or so ago, we moved to a farm just outside of town. Even before we moved in, we talked about having a garden, and even a small little pumpkin patch. Those plans, at least for this year, never panned out, or at least that’s what we thought. Mid-July, we noticed something was growing. A decent sized vine was starting to develop, and much to our surprise, a little tiny pumpkin appeared. As it grew, we realized it was not in a great spot, and the vine could break, causing the pumpkin to lose its only source of nutrients.  

In this verse we see the heart of Jesus, reminding us that He, like a vine to a fruit, is the one and only source that can provide for your every need. Without the vine that feeds us, our lives become fruitless and wither, gradually fading into nothingness. Looking back on my life before I had a relationship with Jesus, there was a lot of good, but there was also a lot of nothingness, hopelessness, anger, and emptiness.

But God. When we are connected to our life giving source in Jesus, we flourish, and His goodness nourishes us, allowing us to bear fruit for those around us to see. We have a relationship with a good and loving Father who takes joy in providing for us. We serve a God who will give you whatever you ask for, because we declare His glory with every piece of fruit we bear.  

And isn’t that what we want for our children?

As much as we try, we cannot be the vine for our children. We can, however, be the tether that supports the vine when the weight of the world pulls against it. Because the gravity of this world is constant, what seems like relentlessly trying to break the vine that connects us to the Father. We, as moms, can support our children’s connection to Jesus by praying with them, teaching a memory verse, and consistently lifting their names up to Him, so they can bear the fruit of the faithful, joyful, and Spirit-filled life we so desperately want for them.

We can be the tether that supports their connection to the father. 

But as an added bonus, that tether that provides support for our children, also strengthens our vine as well, nourishing us, allowing us to bear good fruit that those little eyes can see.  

Action Steps:

• While making a new habit can be hard, it just takes one step. Start something new, like listening to worship music together, or pray with your children in the car before school dropoff. 

• Ask your Jesus-loving momma community how they invite Jesus into the day with their kids. God gave you this community to help you along this journey of faith and motherhood. (If you don’t have one, join us! Click here!)

Prayer:  Lord, We praise Your powerful and Holy name, for You are worthy. We thank You, Father, for providing for our every need and for being our source of nourishment and life.   We ask You, Lord, to help us strengthen the vine that connects our children to You. Use us to tether their connection to You. You know their hearts and their needs, Father. Let Your Holy Spirit fill them with Your goodness wherever they go. Amen.

Written by Kelsey, keeping two kids tethered to the vine

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