The Day a Grape Mysteriously Halved Itself

My youngest son had the great privilege of going to school and “running” with some of the best young men I’ve ever met. This group of guys all love Jesus and each other.  They are funny pranksters, but not cruel, mischievous, but yet respectful, competitive, but compassionate.  How do boys grow into men like this?  It was the Lord’s work in their hearts, and some great mammas.

Because my son had great friends, I too was blessed by the friendships of the moms who reared them.  As we all got ready to send our babes to college we made a pact of sorts to stay connected.  We promised to continue praying for our boys, and to get together on occasion to laugh, cry, and share life with each other. 

Last week was our first get together. I had the great privilege of hosting these special friends for a dinner party, loving called the “Whine and Wine” party.  Moms, wine, and ‘war’ stories…fun just waiting to happen!

To prepare for the party, I did the usual things.  I cleaned my house, grocery shopped, and made food.  As the time grew closer for them to arrive, I made the final preparations of lighting candles, and putting all the food on serving trays.  This is when I ran across the most curious thing.  Among the freshly washed bunch of grapes, I found a grape, still on the stem, cut in half. It wasn’t torn in half; it was cut perfectly in half.  It was so odd to me that I had to know…where was the other half and how did this happen?

I looked through the bunch of grapes and found the other half among the loose ones.  I pulled the half that remained on the stem to match it up with its mate.  Again…silly, maybe…but I was so curious about how this happened.  I remembered that as I washed the grapes earlier and was trying to put the grapes into smaller more manageable clumps, I ran across a stem I couldn’t tear.  I reached for a knife and cut the stem. In doing so, I had evidently cut the grape in half as well.

This inconsequential incident has awakened my spirit to, and reminded me of how the Body of Christ is divided.  Grapes, bunched together because we love and follow the same God.  We get divided into smaller clumps along the way down denominational (or non-denominational) lines.  We’re still grapes, but we’ve now made ourselves ‘more manageable’ somehow.

These divisions are not bad in and of themselves, but something is happening- and has been happening for many years- in the Body that isn’t good.  We’re being cut in half just like my mysterious grape. We argue about the silliest things like whose music is more holy, if raising hands in worship is okay, or if wearing jeans to church is respectful.  As Beth Moore says, “We’ve made rib issues into spine issues.” It’s ridiculous. 

Even more than that, I think the Body of Christ is in danger of dividing itself right down the middle because of some of the “hot topics” in our world today.  These arguments are the perfect avenue for the enemy to use to further his agenda.  His knife of lies, confusion, and distraction will cut us perfectly in half and we’ll be left standing there wondering how it happened.

Seriously, we have one thing to be concerned about…are we still following and trusting the One True God? Are we about doing what Jesus said were the most important things- loving God and loving our neighbors?  The enemy wants nothing more than to divide the Body and I’m afraid we’re giving him lots of room to do just that. 

There are no easy answers but there are things we can do.

If our stems are so strong they can’t be torn…
If we don’t let any of our brothers and sisters in Christ get ‘loose’ from the bigger bunch we call the Body…
If we make every effort to cling to the Lord and each other for the purpose of His Kingdom…

Maybe the enemy will have fewer chances to divide us, and we won’t be left wondering how we were mysteriously cut in half. 

My grape was cut because I wasn't paying attention to the grape itself, but was more concerned with the agenda of making smaller clumps.  Are we concerned with clumps or the bunch? Are we paying attention?

Jude 1:17-22 – “But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.  They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires."  These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.  But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.  Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”