Danni Andrew lives in the Four Corners area of northern New Mexico. She likes to cook, sew, and paint; as well as write. Danni also teaches Home Economics for grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 at her church's elementary school. Danni has found that the best place to write is in her camper somewhere up in the mountains and gets inspiration while fishing and camping.
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me." (NASB)
I thought it was a good passage to start my day with. I set it down and began reading my regular devotional book. I had not gotten very far down the page when I read the scripture for the day. It was
John 15:4
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
. I stopped to read the small booklet again, and sure enough, it was the same passage. God must be trying to tell me something.
My life has been like the grapevines on the backyard fence lately. Twisted, going every which way but the way it should be. God has been gently pruning my life. He has been getting rid of those things in my life which distract me and take away from the Joy of life in Jesus. Worry and stress have robbed me of my Joy in so many ways. The more time I spend worrying, the less I get done. The less I get done, the more stressed I get and the more I worry. My life has become twisted and unruly.
In an attempt to get things done I made a schedule. I created a list of things that must be done each day, and the time frame for them to be completed. While being organized is a good thing, it can distract me from what is most important. Spending time with Jesus in the Word is more important than getting my schedule done. So, I have loosened the strings on my tight schedule. Now, I have a list of what needs to be done and am asking God to show me what HE wants me to get done today. It helps me to be more relaxed, which in turn helps me to be more productive.
Control is one of the branches on my grapevine which needed to be pruned. I like to have control of things in my life, but I have a tendency to overcontrol every area of my life. Unless I abide in Jesus and let Him have control, my life will be a mess.
"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." (
John 15:11
I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
NASB)
The more time I spend with Jesus the better my life is. When I open my day with Bible study, prayer and thanking God for what He has done for me, my problems get smaller and my workload gets lighter. When I let God tell me what He wants me to do today, the more "right" things I get done. Only when I allow God to prune my grapevine, will I continue to grow.
What branch on your grapevine needs pruning? What is keeping you from experiencing the full joy Jesus has to offer you? He will gently prune those things in your life which are keeping you from experiencing His full joy. Abiding in Him means spending time with Him. Spending time with Jesus can only be good for you. What person, thing or habit are you holding onto that is stopping you from experiencing the full joy of what God has for you?
My life has been an uproar lately. I have not been able to write, nor have I been able to think clearly. The time is fast approaching marking “one year” since my Mother had her stroke. Soon after, will be one year since I was forced to put her into a nursing home. Not long after will be … one year since she breathed her last on this planet.
When one person leaves such a huge void in my life, I am at a loss as to what to do about it. My life was not my own for so many years while I cared for the needs of my Mother. My dreams lay at the door, waiting for the moment when I could pick them up again. I do not regret one moment of the time spent with her. She needed me, and I needed to be needed!
God knew what my needs were before the words were even a breath. As I begged God to show me what to do to help my Mom, it became very clear that it wasn’t about what I wanted. I simply wanted my Mom back. I wanted her to get up off of that bed and tell me to quit being so bossy, just one more time! It wasn’t meant to be. It was her time and I needed to let her go peacefully. As much as I didn’t want to!
In those moments in time when I don’t have a clue what to do next, God does! When my head is hanging and my heart is broken, God knows what the next step is. God knows how much I hurt. He also knows that His plan is so much better. My Mom used to say, “If I could just get some rest I would feel better.” Well, Mom finally got the rest she has been wanting for such a long time.
As I stand here looking at my own dreams, I find it hard to pick them up. Somewhere in my sadness, I must remind myself that it is ok to be sad, but I must also move on. My inability to write has been because of the loss of my Mom. Her words ring in my ears, “Just pull yourself up by the bootstraps and do what you have to do!" I have allowed myself to get bogged down in depression long enough. She lived a good life, and now so must I.
While I still feel like Job a bit, I am becoming more and more excited about the life that is before me. The door is opening and I must walk through it. My Mom would want me to. She was the one that read every Devotion I ever wrote. She was the one that always said, “Go for it!”
"I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you," declares the LORD, "and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile."
Jeremiah 29:14
I will be found by you," says the LORD. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land."
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
While taking care of my Mom was not exactly “exile”, as I enjoyed my time with her, it was still somewhat of a deviation from what I had planned. It is a road I will never be sorry for taking.
You never know what the plans are that God has for you. You cannot know the road He will take you on. I learned many things about myself while taking care of my Mother - lessons that God felt I needed to learn. I am more patient now. I am somehow quieter as well. I am more reflective than I was before. My Mother and I spent the last eight months of her life studying the Bible. God knew all of this. He knew that I needed her just as much or more than she needed me! My life has been enriched because of the time spent with her. I am thankful for that time. My writing is much better now than it was before, and somehow God knew that too.
My memory wanders back to a much simpler time, when life for this six-year-old child was one of great wonder. It was the winter of 1970 and my family had only recently moved to the Southwest. Snow covered the landscape and it seemed the wind blew constantly. With Christmas just around the corner, I worried as there was no tree in our living room, and no gifts to wonder about. As a small child my understanding about finances was slim, nor did I consider where the gifts might come from.
Christmas morning dawned as I crept quietly to the living room. In the faint shadows just before daylight, I could see a tree with presents under it. Afraid of being in trouble I ran back to my bed, waiting impatiently for the call announcing that it was time to get up. In my imagination, I saw the green boughs of a Christmas tree, and I imagined what was in those gifts under that tree.
“Time to get up”, echoed through our home and my little heart beat wildly. Unable to contain my excitement any longer, I ran to the living room. My small feet skidded to a stop. Before me stood a tree like none I had ever seen before. Two tumbleweeds, one on top of the other, and lightly dusted with spray snow, graced the corner of our living room. Upon that pitiful little “tree” my Mother had made a paper chain of red and green construction paper. Ropes of popcorn also circled the little tree. Behind the tree, nailed to the wall, were four stockings. In each of those stockings we found an orange and a candy cane. Each present contained a pair of flannel pajamas, made with expert care by my Mother’s hands.
As I stared at our Christmas tree, tears welled up inside of my heart. My dreams of a big, green tree decorated with tinsel and lights were gone, and my little heart was broken. Somewhere deep within me I knew that my Mother had done all that she could do for us on that cold morning. My young heart also knew that I must hide my disappointment and put on a face of surprise and happiness.
As the years passed and I became an adult, I realized the love that had gone into that tree. There had not been any electricity in our house, yet my Mother had made flannel pajamas on an old treadle sewing machine. When asked of that Christmas she had dropped her head, almost embarrassed to speak of such things. Somehow she knew that I had been disappointed. A child’s heart does not understand these things, but as an adult I have learned to cherish the memory of that tumbleweed Christmas tree. To remember the love that was put into it by my Mother who was determined to do something with nothing for her children.
"And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
Matthew 1:21
And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,* for he will save his people from their sins."
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
NLT
As I ponder my plans for the holidays, I think of what Christmas really means. It is not about what I might get for Christmas; it is so much more about what Jesus did for me. It is also about what I can do for others. Whether I have a lot of money or very little, it does not matter what I get or how much money was spent. Every time I think of that tumbleweed Christmas tree, I am reminded of what Christmas is really about.
When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, he stepped out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus. It was only when he took his eyes off of Jesus that he began to sink.
So long as I keep my eyes on Jesus I am not afraid of the water. When I take my eyes off of Jesus, I begin to sink. When I dive into the deep water, I am putting my faith in Jesus and letting Him take me where He wants me to go. So long as I keep my eyes on Him, I will not sink.
Are you standing ankle deep in the river of Jesus? Walk in a little deeper. See where it will take you. Don’t let fear keep you on the river banks.
