A few months after my family moved into the house where we currently reside, a neighbor gave us a passion flower that he had removed from his yard. He explained how he had tried to rid his garden of the plant (as it tended to grow rampantly and take over) but continued to find it growing there. He also assured us that , if we grew it in a container, it would remain manageable. Having a newly constructed home with not much in the way of landscape, I was excited. I planted the vine in a large pot and stationed it where I believed that it would most enhance the garden. It quickly acclimated to its new surroundings and began to grow lush greenery. Over the next few growing seasons, it stretched and crept up the trellis that I had provided for it and I watered and fed the plant looking forward to the promised blossoms. Those never came.
During one of my aforementioned morning walks last summer, I noticed that another neighbor a few blocks over had a passionflower, in full bloom, in their front garden. In addition to the flowers, their vine also had also began to fruit. I was astonished, not realizing prior to that, that obtaining passion fruit in this climate was even a possibility. For the duration of the summer, I continued to faithfully water and feed my vine hoping to one day find a bud developing. But, my much sought after blossom never materialized.
Last fall, when my disappointment had reached its peak, I took aggressive action. I whacked the plant back and moved it to a new location with full sun. I believe that the other spot was too shaded. As beautiful as the green foliage is, I want this plant to exhibit all of the beauty that it was created to. Anything less is a compromise.
In John 15, Jesus states,"I am the vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit...if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me he can do nothing." My experience with gardening deepens this illustration for me. The passion flower vine at present adds nice greenery but is more decorative than purposeful. The flowers would lend additional eye-candy appeal. But fruit would elevate the plant completely from merely being a showy specimen, to a source of nourishment. When God calls us into fellowship and we respond to that call, He does not do so solely for our own benefit. While it is true that we avoid the wages of sin (death and hell), we also are to mature into useful, fruit bearing parts of the vine that feed and nourish with the fruits of spiritual maturity yielded from remaining in "full son."
I really hope that my little passion flower blooms this summer, but more than that, I hope that my life hangs heavy with the Fruits of the Spirit.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
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