So yesterday I just had our first quarterly leaders meeting of the year, we talked about victories that happened through our pastoral track and concern. Also on how to improve and move forward on our formation track. Having this meeting made me so excited for our future as a community. Dreaming and wanting that one day that Ottawa will have a well-established community where active members out number leaders (we’re getting their!). To forming the new leaders of the community. To this new leaders that will replace us and lead the new generation of people. Into maybe one day be a region by its self-called “The Capital Region” which was another brother’s dream for Ottawa which it became my dream as well (it has a nice ring to it, especially in awards ceremony calling our ‘region’ THE CAPITAL REGION!).
But my excitement came to a halt from the learning curve that we are facing as leaders and CCs. There is so much I want for this community but as we go through the learning curve, all I’m thinking about is when will this learning curve end so that we could thrive as a community not survive. I can feel the urge or that fire in our hearts from every leader that we want to build the community and flourish so when we step down in our roles they will take over.
Sometimes I have thoughts that my community will one day come to end, which is one of my biggest fears. A brother has asked me ‘how is still Ottawa still alive for all this years?’. All I said was ‘I don’t know’, I truly didn’t know why because if I list our struggles you would think that any point at that time it will end. This was me seeing the community with a very negative lens or what I mean is I did not look at this community in what God sees in this community. I was blinded by the negatives things, I couldn’t see how much blessings and work he has done to my community. But now I’ve come to realize that God was working and still working in our lives, and if I list the blessings and the gifts he has given for this community it surpasses any other list.
Which is very fitting to yesterdays Gospel (John 15:1-8)
The Vine and the Branches
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 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.
5 “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. 6 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. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
We are the vines and God is the gardener which I think what God is doing right now to the Ottawa community. He’s taking away the branches that doesn’t bear fruit which basically the correction of our actions and concerns that we may have for the community be taken away. And the branches that bear fruit are pruned is like going through the struggles that we face in the community will bear fruit and multiply receiving and revealing His great plan. Even though pruning can be harsh(cutting part of the branch) like struggles we may face, we need to go though it in order the fruit to multiply into what God has in store for us. Also that we cannot do it with out Him, He is the one that gives us the energy to bear fruit.
This can only happen in time, plants need time to grow so as God’s great plan for us. As we wait, one day we will receive the fruits that we have grown and multiplied, only time.
Even though we may face struggles in the community or anything as long as we keep His word and strive to build His kingdom He will definitely take away the bad branches in our lives and prune the branches that bear fruits in our lives so that we may receive His overflowing fruits that He had planed to give us. We just need to be patient.
It will come.