Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”   John 15:5

I heard, the other day, a lady remark: “Two rose bushes in my garden are a true gift from God. They are planted close to the house, and I have a perfect view of them. I can see and enjoy these plants all the time, especially when they are in bloom.  A few days ago, in a bit of a rush, I cut a few flowers and placed them temporarily in a container with water. Several hours later, I decided to transfer them to a vase. Much to my dismay, two short-stemmed blooms were drooping and lifeless. I quickly noticed that the stems of these two roses did not reach the water level. Consequently, they did not look as fresh as the other ones with longer stems.”

I began to think about Jesus’ words in John 15:5: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” There are those among us who are fragile. They too are God’s children. We have a responsibility to care for them by offering the Living Water, Jesus Christ, through our love, witness, prayer, and wise counsel. When we help them to find this Water, these fragile ones can grow stronger and bear beautiful flowers, as they were meant to.