Are you gas, hybrid or electric?

If you were quick to catch my last post entitled "my you look bushy" then first and foremost...thank you for being loyal readers.  Because I ended up pulling the post after 6 hours; I wanted it to bake a little longer before coming out of the oven.  That, and I had friends offering to come over and help me with yard work which further proves my point that my thoughts weren't translating onto the screen all that well.

Now that I have had a few days to let my thoughts soak, I'm ready to roll.  In my last post talking about stopping to just "rest and pause for some moments" I ended with, "When we stop, He starts... and its always better." Well, when we stop, rest, and abide, we are able to make some of our best changes... our best growth... produce our BEST results.  Think about it... don't beauty commercials tell us that our cells regenerate at night?  Isn't sleep supposed (massive parenthood disclaimer) to be restorative?  So when we abide (translate: rest, remain...stay....) with the one who created us, then we are able to make some of our best changes.  Why? 

Because in John 15:1; (uh, that would be the Bible, but not to worry if some of you thought it was a street address... no judging here on this end!) John 15:1 says that we are just a branch... Jesus is the Vine and God is our Vinedresser.  So as a branch we have to stay connected to the vine in order to regenerate, change, grow.  You cannot do it without being connected to the vine.  In fact, a branch that has become broken off from its vine/trunk slowly starts to wither and die. 

If you are like many friends I have, you will also admit that if you were called a greenthumb, its because it has gangrine, not because you are a good gardener.  So let me give you a different analogy to chew on. 
I'm no car buff but as best as I know, there are 3 car options out there on the mass market.

• Gas
• Hybrid
• Electric

Now that I am back in Seattle, I see a lot of all three types; and quite frankly, I'm not surprised since I know I am hanging out at the gas station about twice as much as when I was in Chicago.  My middle son is always in a panic when he sees the gas light on in my car because he knows what will happen when I ignore it... we will flat out run out of gas.  It's one of the limitations of a gas-fueled car; you will always be tied to a limitation of miles before you have to find a gas station.  It's these hybrid/electric cars I get a kick out of.  You simply return home and "plug back in!"

I bet someone at this point is thinking, "Bushes.  Cars.  For the love of the Lord, Erin, focus!!!"

Ready?  What do the Hybrid/Electric cars have in common with the branch?  They are constructed to require connection to a power source.  The branch is connected to the vine that continually supplies energy, nourishment and all that is needed for it to maintain life within it.  A car that "plugs into an energy source" is of course recharged and ready to go back out into the world.  The gas car...however.... does not get recharged.  Instead, it fills up on something that burns off and eventually, runs out.  Without getting back in time for more gas... it stops working all together.  (And then you're dialing AAA or spouse to come fetch you some gas by the roadside.)

I'm reading back over this and I have to admit, you're brave to have gone this far but here's what I want you to sit and ponder when you're done.  What are YOU plugging into?  What are YOU feeding your soul with?  Because whatever you put in there...chances are, if its not the vinedresser (John 15:1 again) then its expendible, temporary and WILL run out.  Consider the source of the branch's energy and nourishment... it doesn't have to do much... it just has to rest and stay connected to the vine.  The hyrid or electric car doesn't have to do anything in the garage at night... it just has to get plugged in. 

I guarantee you 10 minutes of abiding, whether it be jamming out to some Worship music, being still and knowing He alone is who loved you and created you or even cracking open your bible (hey, try John 15:1) will rejuvinate your engine more than anything else you can spend 10 minutes doing.