“We don’t often stop and consider things from someone else’s perspective. We don’t often ask the question, ‘What would you do?’ and even more rarely do we do that with God. . . . But take a moment to look at your life and consider what you would do with you if you were God.”- Kyle Idleman
“I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener.”- John 15:1 (NIV)
In Chapter 8 (“Picked Up and Cleaned Off”) of When Your Way Isn’t Working, Kyle Idleman stresses the importance of regularly wrestling with the question, What would you do? Specifically, Pastor Idleman adds, if you were God, what would you do about you?
For example, Kyle asks, when you:
- complain and act entitled, what would you do with you?
- ignore God and are always too busy to spend time with him, what would you do with you?
- keep doing what you know is wrong and not doing what you know is right, what would you do with you?
Furthermore, Pastor Idleman notes, it’s natural to assume that when we insist on continuing our way that isn’t working, that God will cut us off and move on. Disconnect from us and leave us behind. So, when you look at all the disconnected people you’ve left behind, you get a clearer picture of what you would do with you if you were God.
But what does the Gardener do with branches that:
- look promising but never seem to produce?
- always say that things will change but they never do?
- disappoint because they stop bearing fruit?
Above all, Pastor Idleman exhorts:
“When your way isn’t working — and it’s all your fault — does [the Gardener] disconnect from you? The answer to those questions invites you to connect with the Vine and calls you to reconnect with some people you’ve cut off.”
Today’s question: What invites you to a deeper connection with the Vine? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Graceful heart, gentle hands”
