Vertebrae

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you! The branch can’t bear fruit by itself, but only if it remains in the vine. In the same way, you can’t bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. People who remain in me, and I in them, are the ones who bear plenty of fruit. Without me, you see, you can’t do anything. — John 15:4-5 Remain. It’s one of the hardest things to do… Remaining faithful. Staying engaged. Participating wholeheartedly.  When it’s new, it’s natural to be excited. The sheer thrill of “new” envelopes us. We soak everything in and allow this new part of us to blossom. Faith is beautiful at first. A recognition of our helplessness; an admission of inadequacy met with an extended hand of grace. It changes how we see the world, and how we see our own lives… Everything suddenly has a deeper layer to it. A footnote clarifying what was really going on when that thing was going on. (e.g. Something mindless and devastating happens, but suddenly you begin to recognize the i