"When our harvest doesn't go as planned, however, and our fruitful blessing is stripped from us and carelessly trampled, does that not strongly resemble the winepress, the device used to crush grapes and drain their juice for winemaking?
Of course, all of this depends on your point of view. If you were a winemaker, or vintner, as they are often called, you would be all too familiar with each step in the process of making wine. However, if you were the grapevine, the removal of your fruit and its destruction under the feet of those who seem not to care would give you a completely different perspective.
In the midst of our painful crushing, we realize that the blessing found in the production of fruit in our lives was never God's end goal. Our latest crop of fruit was merely part of an ongoing, greater process. The Master Vintner knows there's something much more worthwhile beyond the production of fruit--the potency of its juice fermented into wine. To the vine, however, the fruit seems to be everything, season after season, storm after storm, sun and rain, spring and fall.
But what if you shifted your paradigm to winemaking instead of fruit growing?"
-T. D. Jakes
I think this is a good comparison of the difference between our point of view and God's point of view when we suffer.
For our different loved ones going through tough circumstances right now, my family is praying for you and with you. May this season be over quickly. If there is something one of us can do to help, please let us know. We love you. Uncle Clint/C-Dawg and Aunt W/Mama A
Dear Reader, I do not know if these words speak to your heart or not. If they do, I want to reassure you that the pain we experience when we suffer is not missed by our Father. He knows. He tells us in Scripture that He collects our tears in a bottle. That tells me He is very much aware of and tender towards our suffering. Please let us know how we can pray for you and yours through the email in the header.
