John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does not bear fruit he prunes, that is my bear more fruit."

4 "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

How often I try to do things in my own strength! As I get older and my responsibilities have grown, I find more and more that I have the knowledge that I need to rely on the Lord. I know this in my head, but then what plays out in my life often seems different. While I might know I should rely on Him, I somehow get off track and do not find myself relying on the Holy Spirit to lead me. And why do I do this? Has God not shown Himself to be more than capable to me so many times in my past?

The Lord is certainly proving Himself to me this week. I am in a place of complete belief and knowledge that I cannot do anything apart from Him. I cannot be a good wife or mom, I cannot get enough sleep, I cannot be a good Awana commander. These four things seem to be on the forefront of my mind this week. And I keep realizing over and over how much I need to abide in the Lord, my True Vine, in order to be effective in any of these areas.

He is showing me that part of my fruit bearing is simply my own growth, in knowledge of Him, faith in Him, and reliance on Him for all my needs.