Your Roots and Fruits

“I am the vine, and you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him,
will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me” John 15:5

People are like trees in that without roots, they cannot bear fruit. While the roots
of character are of utmost importance, it matters little in what place they first
grew. Late President Shri K.R. Narayan was born in Perumthanam, Uzhavoor
village, Travancore (present day Kottayam district, Kerala) a town hard to find on
the map.

In the long run, it is not important where you came from but where you are now
and where you are going, what you are now doing with life’s opportunities: that is
all which is important. Abraham Lincoln was fruitful because he had strong roots
strong religious roots and so it didn’t matter where he was born and grew up.

In the Bible we read about Gideon, a great hero of faith. When God called him to
save His people from the invaders, he said: “But Lord, how can I save Israel? My
clan is weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” God was with him
in his great work; it didn’t matter where he came from.

When God needed a prophet to assist and later succeed Elijah, He chose a
farmer, a man plowing with oxen: Elisha. When Jesus needed 12 apostles, He
went to fishermen and the like. Because they had the roots of faith, they bore
fruit, and it made no difference from what town they came.

Jesus Himself was born in Bethlehem, which the prophet Micah calls least
among the rulers of Judah. Later He lived in Nazareth and when Philip spoke to
Nathanael about Him, the latter said, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from
there”. Yes, it could, for Jesus, the Son of God, gave his life on the cross for the
salvation of all. Attached to Him by faith, we have our roots in Him and can bear
fruit.

So when someone asks where your roots are, don’t think of where you were
born, but where you are now and whether you are bearing the fruit.

By Jinu Varghese