Vineyard

I was about 20 minutes last to mass today because of the sleepover. As a result, me and the five girls I brought walked in during the middle of the sermon. I am not even sure where the sermon was from, but it had to do with a vineyard. At one point, the priest--a man I absolutely love--was talking about the vineyard and what God entrusts us with. As he said this, a picture flashed in my mind. It was not like a photograph, but I can still see it in my head. It was something like this:

I was in a vineyard and it was dark, clearly night. However, the moon was bright and I could see the grape vines around me. I had a knife in my hand--a big one. I was running around the vineyard and savagely destroying the fruit by cutting off the vines. I could sense that my actions were a result of pride, bitterness, anger and despair. I was crying as I did my work. Then I stopped, exhausted by my efforts. After I stopped--no, before that--I knew that what I was doing was wrong. And I also knew that it would be restored. As I stood looking at the damage, I knew that the Gardner would forgive me and begin to rebuild the garden. Though I was instantly forgiven, it would take time to once again regrow the fruit.

After the image faded from my head, I thought of a quote from a book called I have been thinking a lot about that picture. The Shack. In it, Jesus talks about the "sheer lunacy of sin." When I was destroying the vineyard (sinning), I was insane. To sin, it absolute insanity. Why in the world would we disobey the Creator of the universe, our Savior, Father, Redeemer, Healer, Restorer, Brother, Friend, Counselor--our very Life? Sin, is indeed, sheer lunacy.

Just some thoughts,
B