Vine/Garden mixed metaphor

John 15:1-4 (TNIV) -

1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

My thoughts -

I'm a proud person. I know what I do well and I place a lot of value in that. I generally have a pretty high opinion of myself. Often I feel like that which I do well I do alone. I'm a pretty good person, and I am very aware of this.

I am also in dire need of "pruning". Yes, I am aware of what I do well, but I also know my own demons. I know the things that trouble me about myself and I know how powerless I am against them. I need help.

When I start feeling like I can handle all of the stress, the troubles, and the temptations in this life alone I fall. Hard. Yes, I'm doing OK right now. Better than I have in a long, long time. But without constant dependence on God I find myself miles from where I would like to be.

Seeds don't just grow into produce on their own. They are cultivated. They are watered. The weeds that would suck up important nutrients and sunlight are pulled. There's a lot of work in getting a seed from point A to food. I get so proud of myself when I, the metaphorical seed, produce something worth eating that I often forget that this was not something I did myself.

Mixing metaphors back to the one Jesus used here, when I forget that I did not do all of the work but was mainly the beneficiary of God's grace I become detached from the vine and unable to produce fruit.

Thankfully grace is there to graft me back on. Thankfully grace is there to cultivate me. To water me. To weed around me. I just need to remember that none of those things are things I can do on my own.