Why Wisteria?
The vision of Middle Women is to become a spiritual trellis for women in the local church: encouraging them to be rooted in the gospel, linking together as they spur each other upward in their growth in grace for the glory of God.
A Thriving Wisteria
Is there a more iconic vine than the wisteria plant? Fragrant, cascading purple flowers delight the senses. It twists and climbs as it grows upward, reaching soaring heights rivaling a tree itself. This is the part where I close my eyes and envision myself as a wisteria plant. Yes, growing in Godly grace as a woman must certainly look like a thriving wisteria. I often approach my worth in how much “fruit” or how many “flowers” I am adorned with. Am I meeting the demands I’ve set forth for myself as a… Friend? Mom? Wife? Daughter? Sister? Aunt? Co-worker? Christian? Ministry Leader? Each one of these areas represents a branch on my plant. I expect each branch to be producing flowers to signify a job well done. If a “branch” of my plant was lacking or looking neglected, I would diligently give it care and attention. More work and effort on my end would surely produce results. And yet, despite my manic attempts to force fruit, everything on my plant remained dry and desperately in need of life. I felt more like Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree than a majestic wisteria. I was a pile of twisted, roping branches with no hope for blooms. What was I missing?
Patience?
Did you know wisteria grown from seeds can take decades to bloom? You could end up waiting half of your life to see those iconic flowers if you started the plant from a seed! In contrast, the world's largest wisteria vine is located in Sierra Madre, California, planted in 1894. It covers over 1 acre of land, weighs approximately 250 tons, and is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's largest blossoming plant. Is the secret patience? Do we just need to wait patiently as we work on our plants?
As only God’s word can do, my eyes were opened and my heart was softened to the root of my own “plant problem” when I opened my Bible to the gospel of John. My diligent effort and hard work weren’t the solution to my problem. My patience wasn’t the answer. My perspective was all wrong. I wasn’t meant to be a lone, thriving wisteria. I wasn’t in charge of tending every branch and forcing fruit. I was a branch. This shift in perspective changed everything. When we begin to know and understand God’s character through his word, we can’t help but be transformed in the way we see ourselves and the world around us.
Vinedresser/True Vine/Fruit
Our creator God gives us an image in his word of himself as a vinedresser. Jesus tells us in John 15: 1-2, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ” John continues in verses 4-5, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
Did you catch the order there? Jesus is the true vine. God the Father is the vinedresser. The fruit is of the Spirit. Our triune God is wholly and fully every part of the living plant. Everything needed for grace and growth exists in Him. When he looks upon us, his creation, he still delights to share every part so that we too may experience new life in Him. How do we take our struggling branches and start to experience and mirror this new growth and life?
Grafting
Savvy gardeners know to buy an already grafted wisteria where the sturdy root system of an already established plant is joined with a branch cutting. This can speed along the maturity of the plant and have it blooming in no time! Paul mentions this concept of grafting in Romans 11: 17-24 with the example of an olive tree. “You, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in amongst them and have come to share in the rich root of the cultivated olive tree”. Separated from God, we became like wild olive branches. By the blood of Jesus, we are grafted back into the true vine. There is no other way to bear flourishing fruit unless we abide there.
Apart from the vinedresser and the true vine, we are like a planted seed of wisteria taking half a lifetime to bloom or a wild olive branch. A wild olive branch can look like it bears fruit, but it will always be smaller and less abundant than a cultivated olive tree. In fact, the branches of a wild olive tree will continue to produce small, bitter fruit that is hardly profitable. The best thing for these branches is to be cut off from the wild plant and grafted into a mature, cultivated plant. Under the care of the vinedresser, simply abiding in the cultivated, true vine will cause the branch to yield fruit! Consider what peace and grace would abound if you were to fully embrace life grafted into the true vine. This is the process of surrender. The lone branch has nothing to offer the mature, cultivated one. It is cared for by simply remaining and continually depending.
Trellis
Embracing life as a grafted branch changes our perspective and approach. No longer are we working alone to care for every part of our lives. Being adopted into the family of God means being a part of a flourishing community. Branches come in all shapes and sizes. Some have been there longer than others, but one thing remains true of all: they need support. As the vine grows, it is continually rooted in the truth of God’s word. The true vine (Jesus) is the word! The church can be seen supporting each other like a trellis. As we grow in grace for the glory of God, our branches can and should have new shoots coming off them. We must have a local community to support us in this new growth. Wisteria is a fast-growing, climbing vine. It produces a main, often trunk-like, stem with lateral branches that can grow to 15 inches in diameter and span up to 65 feet! This requires a sturdy, permanent support. God designed us to depend on our church body as a trellis, this permanent support. We need a community of believers to support us and encourage us in growth as we learn to obey and abide.
Pruned for Growth
If you had to describe yourself as a plant, what would you be like? Flourishing? Well-watered? Dry? Barely hanging on?
Have you ever seen yourself as a lone plant trying to produce fruit through exhausting effort with little result? Do you feel like you are tending to every branch in your life and it is draining you?
If you shift your perspective to see that God invites you to be grafted into a part of his family, which is the most established root of all time, how does this change your approach? What is life like when we operate as a grafted branch under the care of the vinedresser? Where can you hand over the pruners and watering can, so to speak, and allow yourself to abide in Jesus?
If you have embraced yourself as a grafted branch, are you struggling when you are pruned?
Look at John 15: 2 “and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Think of an area of life where God is pruning you. Does this mean that area isn’t working?
MWM
We are all branches. Our triune God offers every part of himself to help us become fruitful and flourishing. By the blood of Jesus, we are invited to be grafted branches to the true vine. We abide in Jesus and are able to bear fruit by the Spirit’s work in our lives.
As this transformative growth takes place, its effects will be seen in the fruitful flourishing of families, churches, and communities. Middle Women Ministries' vision is that in five years, local church women’s ministries will flourish with biblically literate women who are maturing in Christ, and teaching what is good to the next generation (Titus 2:3). We then seek to train and encourage leaders in women’s ministries to continue this transformative intergenerational work in sustainable ways that impact God’s Kingdom until he returns.
— Hannah Radford, MWM Assistant Director
