el roi

The God who sees all of me - every single part - and still loves me despite it all. That is what El Roi is. I love that I can change, mess up and have hang-ups, but God keeps loving me despite all my faults.

Spring can be messy. Dirt and dead leaves; bare branches and brown landscapes; slushy snow from the last of winter dumping its contents onto the ground. Puddles, piles, preparing. It feels a lot like me when I look at the landscape of my life at times. My past baggage, waiting for opportunities that are still in the making, disappointments, stagnant spots, lots of hopes and yet, I know that God is working to till my soil and make me fruitful.

He is pruning me, getting rid of the dead branches that aren’t bearing Him fruit. He is turning up the soil to uncover the growth that is possible in my life. He sees the potential of beauty. He is the gardener of my soul.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 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. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 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.

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15: 1-8