When Producing Becomes the Goal
I spent most of last year trying to produce.
Produce content. Produce results. Produce evidence that what I was doing was working. I measured everything — subscribers, page views, downloads, engagement rates. And on the days when the numbers moved, I felt like I was doing something right. On the days they did not, I felt like I was failing.
The Moment John 15:4 Changed Everything
Then I read John 15:4 for the hundredth time and it finally hit me differently.
“As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”
The branch cannot bear fruit of itself. Not “should not.” Cannot. It is biologically impossible. A branch that detaches from the vine and tries to produce grapes through sheer effort will not produce a single one. It will just dry up.
The Shift From Producing to Abiding
I had been trying to produce grapes while slowly detaching from the vine.
Not intentionally. I was still reading my Bible, still praying, still showing up. But the posture had shifted. I was reading for content ideas instead of for my own soul. Praying about the ministry instead of praying to know Jesus. Studying John’s Gospel so I could teach it instead of so it could teach me.
Abiding is not the same as using.
What Abiding Really Means
The difference is subtle but it is everything. When you abide, you sit with the vine because you need the vine — because without it you have nothing. When you use, you sit with the vine because you need grapes — and the vine is a means to an end.
What It Looked Like to Start Abiding Again
I caught myself doing the second thing. And I had to stop producing long enough to start abiding again.
It looked like closing the laptop and opening the sketchbook. Hand-writing John 4 without thinking about what blog post it would become. Drawing a water jar and not photographing it for content. Sitting in silence after reading a verse and not immediately reaching for the notes app to capture an insight.
What Happens When You Abide in Christ
The fruit started coming back. Not because I tried harder. Because I stopped trying and started staying.
If you are in a season where the work feels dry and the results feel forced — whether that is ministry, parenting, career, or just daily life — the problem might not be effort. It might be connection. Are you producing or are you abiding?
The branch does not strain. It stays. And the vine does the rest.