Entwined

 March 28, 2023

My gratitude calendar this morning read, “Three gifts entwined,” a rather intriguing thought. 

The very first entwined gift that came to mind was the love between Linda and myself. Our lives have been entwined for 53 years. Not only the major cords of faith, faithfulness, and bodies, but also the ensuing strands of children, grandchildren, of sacrifices and prayers, countless hours, gifts, sickness, joys, tears, and forgiveness. The threads of our lives are so interwoven that only death will be able to separate them. Ours is more than a threefold cord that cannot be broken; it is thousands of strands that bind us securely to each other.

I thought also of my grapevines, how the tendrils curl around anything that may offer the slightest bit of support. In Cassadaga, they flourished, but the few miles that separate us from that community apparently are enough to stunt their growth. Four years, and my vines are thin and spindly, far from being productive, illustrating that no matter how deeply intertwined, without roots that burrow deep into good soil, neither the plant nor the person can thrive. There have been times in our past when either one of us could have given up and called it quits, with ample justification, but we both were rooted and grounded in Christ, who nourished and strengthened us so we could flourish and be fruitful.

Of course, Jesus Christ is the original Vine of which we are the branches. His encircling me with grace, forgiveness, and life is what grabbed ahold and keeps hold of this wayward heart.