In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus compares himself to a vine and his followers to branches, emphasizing that, just as branches can only bear fruit if they remain attached to the vine, believers can only live fruitfully if they maintain a close connection to him. This relationship is crucial for spiritual growth and achieving God’s purposes.
Every relationship has struggles: parent-child, child-parent, sibling, spousal, coworker, and, of course, one with God. Often, I struggle more in a relationship when I feel the person on the other end isn’t doing their part or listening the way I’d like, and there are times when I feel less connected to God.
My relationship with him struggles the most during hard times, like losing someone I loved, feeling like life is unfair, or enduring other challenges that didn’t turn out how I’d hoped. In relationships, we often “punish” the other person by giving them the silent treatment or going out of our way to avoid them. Yet, avoiding our connections to God is never the answer.
Remaining connected to God during struggles is the same as in any relationship: it involves showing humility in accepting the tension, showing accountability (because no relational struggle is ever one-sided), and listening first.
In my marriage, we have something called the “Forgiveness Cup,” which was introduced and gifted to us. For the times we don’t know what to say and are too afraid to be the first to admit we were wrong, we pour and share the cup as an olive branch.
So, in those times when you don’t feel connected to God or don’t think he is listening, remember, it’s up to you (not him) to extend the spiritual Forgiveness Cup and open yourself up to listening to him and the greater plan that he has in store.
