The Dirt on Growing Good Fruit
John 15:1-8 | John 14:23 | Galatians 5:22-23
Lately, Pastor Jay has had us diving deep into vineyards and grapevines on Sunday mornings—so much so that if anyone shows up next week with a sunhat and pruning shears, I won’t be surprised.
What’s fascinated me most is the connection between the root vine and the grafted branch. It all starts with an incision—a wounding—and eventually transforms into a branch so fully joined to the vine that you can’t even tell it was once separate.
But transformation doesn’t happen overnight. (And if you’re like me, you’re still waiting for your spiritual grapes to turn into something more than stubborn little raisins.)
Once a branch is grafted, it taps into the life of the vine and starts producing the same amazing fruit. But taking on the life and richness of the vine also depends on its environment.
In the wine world, there’s a word for this: terroir (fancy French for “your dirt matters”).
Terroir means that everything about the environment—climate, rainfall, altitude, even a slight slope on a hill—can change the flavor of a grape. The fruit actually tastes like where it’s grown. Expert winemakers can tell the difference between grapes from one end of a vineyard and the other!
Our spiritual “terroir” matters too. The people we hang around, the circumstances we walk through, the everyday "weather" of our lives—these things shape the kind of fruit we produce as followers of Christ.
Some grapes—like the Nebbiolo grape used in Italy’s famous Barolo wine—take a long time to mature. We’re talking 10 years just to get grapes worth making wine out of, and then a few more years of aging before it’s ready to be uncorked.
Our spiritual growth is a lot like that. We want to be Barolo Christians—rich, deep, beautifully complex—but the truth is, growth takes time. Maturity takes patience. (So if you’re feeling more like grape juice than fine wine right now, be encouraged: God’s not finished with you yet.)
The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—grows in us as we stay connected to Christ. His life flowing through us brings transformation. But like the grapevine, the process isn't instant.
If you’re wondering why your life still tastes a little...well, earthy...remember: terroir is part of the beauty. God can use your surroundings—the good, the hard, and the ordinary—to flavor your fruit for His glory.
Stay grafted into Jesus. Trust the slow, unseen work He’s doing. Because in time, you’ll bear a flavor the world will taste and know comes from the True Vine.
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Fruitful Questions:
• Where do you see the "flavor" of your spiritual environment showing up in your life?
• What areas of your spiritual growth are requiring the most patience right now?
• Who or what is helping you stay connected to the life of Christ?
{Written by Stacie Forest}
If you’re looking for ways to nourish your spiritual "soil," here are two books we highly recommend:
Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer - A practical, powerful guide to following Jesus not just in belief, but in daily habits. Comer gives you the tools to build a life that actually looks like Jesus’.
Soul Keeping by John Ortberg - A deeply encouraging and wise reminder that your soul matters—and so does how you care for it. Ortberg helps you understand the spiritual root system of your life.