A Life Entrusted to Us

“He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.
13"Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.'
14"But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 15So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
"What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When the people heard this, they said, "May this never be!"
17Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written:
" 'The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone[a]'[b]? 18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."
19The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.”

What is the cornerstone that anchors your structure? What have you built everything on? What is the anchor point for everything you live for?
You have been given a life filled with hope and promise. God says that he knew you before you were born and he locked inside of you all of the potential to live an amazing life. But somewhere along the way we walled off the room where that promise was all kept. The hinges and door handle and locks oxidized and then rusted. Dust settled over everything, seeping into cracks and crevices until they were obscured. Over time what was once our promise and potential became hidden, unseen, and we looked past it at all the shiny fools gold that glittered. We built our lives on the allure of the quick, the temptation of the instant, the desire for the moment, the heat of the big, fast, expansive, and expensive. These things became our cornerstone, the anchor to all we were, the first block in the building of our life.
And then there’s the room. It’s at the center. We walk around it not looking at it lest some of the dust should fall away and we would see the outline of the door. Fearful that what is inside isn’t shiny or immediate.
But this is our inheritance. It is on loan to us. We lease it with the years of life we are given. What we do with it is what it will yield. Will there be fruit? Will it produce an abundant crop? Will it be lush?
The way of a vineyard is the way of life. It’s not quick. The seasons are essential. It’s a journey of diligent preparation, of careful tending, of cautious prevention and protection, and meaningful, purposeful care. When all has been done deliberately, God’s son shines on the tended and prepared vines producing a joyous bounty of fruit that delights all who see and taste it.
The fruit is the gift we return to God for this opportunity to live, to tend, to produce abundantly.