Abide in Him

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.- John 15:4-8 (NKJV).

This passage has so much practical application to every Christian’s walk with Christ, in every stage of life, and in every area of life. This passage has been especially important in my life these past few years. I have consistently prayed and meditated this passage when I was studying in law school, studying for the bar exam, and I continue to do so now as I am starting my legal career and working on starting up my law practice.

My first year of law school was a season of adjustment and challenges- not just academically, but mentally and spiritually. My entire life throughout school and in college, I was obsessed with making sure I made the best grades. I believed that the entire course of my life rested upon how many “A’s” I had on my transcripts. You could say that I trusted myself, my own abilities, and my test scores for what my future held more than God, the one who has already written my future. I didn’t always abide in Him as I should. Although I produced impressive marks throughout my career, the fruit of crippling anxiety, stress, burnout, and depression was also produced, because I tried too hard to achieve it. In law school I didn’t have as much control over my grades as I did in high school and undergrad, because law school grades on a competitive curve. In essence, my goal wasn’t to make a 90% on an exam in order to get an “A”, but to outperform everyone else in my class in order to make an “A”. Since I was lacking a level of control over my grades, something I was certainly not used to, God used this as an opportunity for me to completely rest in Him and trust Him with my future, not my grades.

I prayed to God, “Lord, I know that you have placed me in law school for a purpose. I know that you have a plan to prosper me in the career path you have called me to. I will work hard and labor over my studies and I will trust that you will take notice of my labor. I understand that you alone will open the doors to the opportunities that you have ordained for me, doors that no one can shut. I will rest in you and abide in you, for you are the vine, I am the branch, and through you, I will produce much fruit in my life. I can do nothing apart from you.”

As I have come to graduate from law school, pass my bar exam, and begin my first job, I have no choice but to credit my success to God. All of my accomplishments are His too. My work ethic, discipline, and drive played a role in where I am today, but everything I have done is the fruit that has been produced as a result of being connected to Him. Because I could not have done any of these things without being connected to Him. And I did not have to strive hard to produce the fruit I have produced; I did not have to stress about it or worry about it, like I used to when I was younger. I simply needed to remain in Him by putting Him first and making prayer a priority. As I enter the season of getting things started up for my law practice, I have prayed this same prayer and meditated on this exact same passage. I will continue to abide in Him and as a result, I will produce much fruit in my life that will glorify Him.

“If we want to produce fruit, we don’t have to strive for it or sweat or lose sleep or grit our teeth in anxiety to achieve it. The branch’s only responsibility is to remain connected to the vine and rest there.”- Priscilla Shirer