Some days I’ll ponder profound questions. Looking at the beautiful trees in my backyard, I’ve been pondering, “If I could be part of a tree, what part would I be?” I wouldn’t want to be the trunk of a tree because a large part of the tree is buried in the dirt, has to carry all of the weight of the branches and people hammer nails into trunks of trees to put up their signs. I think I would rather be a branch. Branches burst forth with buds, flowers, leaves, and fruit. Maybe that is why Jesus said for us to remember that God is the gardener and that Jesus is the trunk and that we are the branches. If you think that it is your job to be the one who is to keep people free from weeds, you need to lay down your hoe. That is the gardener’s job, and the Father is the gardener. If you are trying to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, then set it down. The trunk will carry the weight, and Jesus is the trunk. We are the branches. Our task is to stay connected to the branch, to Jesus, and if we stay connected to Jesus, our lives will produce amazingly good fruit. Remember who you are. You are a branch. Be the branch. Stay connected to Jesus. That’s our job. If we stay connected to Jesus, then our lives will produce good fruit.
– Dr. Tim Thompson