What a bummer! Why are you so depressing, Larry? Don’t give up on me yet. There is hope but first we must understand how suddenly things can change and how easily our lives can spin out of control.

Even the Bible changes… no not the words themselves but their meaning. For example: When I first committed myself to becoming a serious Christian, Zig Ziglar a famous motivational speaker and author, signed the book he wrote that changed my life “Confessions of a Happy Christian” and then added John 15:1-7. I couldn’t wait to look it up in the Bible. Here is a portion of the Scripture:

Jesus said: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more… 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 apart from me… Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.”

I loved these verses then and love them now. One word beckoned to me as if it were my own… fruit. “You will produce much fruit.” I can do that. This is what I should do with my life. Be fruitful for God. I was a professional motivator, so nobody could bear more fruit than me. (No self-esteem problem here.) I rushed back to work determined to bear a lot of fruit… and I failed miserably! Why?

Zig Ziglar gave me a pin to wear that displayed a fish with the number seven. The idea is that someone would notice the fish and ask: “I know that the fish stands for Christian but what does the seven mean?” There is the opportunity to talk about my relationship with Jesus Christ. I was prepared to say, “You are right. The fish means that I am a Christian and the seven is a reminder that I should serve God all seven days of the week.” Wow! It sounded like a great opportunity to share my faith.

There was just one problem… no one asked about the pin! I was ready. I had a plan. I was in control. All I needed was an opportunity. Yet, nothing happened! What was wrong? How can an excited new Christian be ready to witness and have no one give them a chance? After a fruitless few weeks, I was sitting alone at my desk wondering if everything was just a delusion.

Do you see any similarities between my difficulties over the past few weeks and my struggles as a new Christian? The answers mean changing the way we look at the scripture reading. I was focusing on the wrong word. For me to understand what was happening, I needed to listen more carefully to what Jesus was teaching. It’s not the fruit that makes this verse special. The right word is…

Oops! We’re out of space. Click here for Part 2 of Things Change: Vines and MOPS