Happy and healthy Tuesday, my dear friend!
I have a really neat story to share with you today… and of course—there’s a hidden message. See if it reveals itself to you…
You see, several years ago Lillian and I stayed at a hotel with a vineyard on the property. Just outside our room’s window, hung huge clusters of plump grapes that were very close to the ground. Not unusual for a vineyard, but we were still taken aback by the decidedly European ambience they created.
The next day, I saw the hotel owner heading toward the vineyard with a pair of pruning shears, which really piqued my interest. So I asked him what he was planning to do. To my surprise, he said he was cutting the vines back.
Naturally—and because of the strong character provided by the subtle, fruited backdrop—I asked why.
“If I sacrifice this year’s harvest,” he said, “I will get double fruit next year.”
It was at this moment that I began to realize the level of commitment and understanding it takes to create something special. The art of wine making is a study in patience. After a grape is harvested it will go through an amazing process before its transformation is enjoyed in a wine enthusiasts glass.
First the grapes must be inspected for ripeness (often done by crushing a few in your hand), smashed, strained, and boiled to “adjust the juice.”
Then the wine is bottled and tucked away in a wine cellar. There it ages until it achieves the character that the winemaker intends for his creation.
Of course there are many other steps that go into creating the perfect balance of bouquet and flavor, but without tending your batches properly, you’ll likely end up with low-grade swill!
Sometimes we find ourselves identifying with similar processes in our lives. We crush… or get crushed. We feel confined as we age. Emotions bottle up. We can feel the isolation of keeping those emotions hidden.
But these processes are needed to create our intoxicating character… so we remain patient in the delay of our own definition.
Yet in this season of waiting, we discover that delays are not denials. They are merely a divinely designed plan to glean greatness from the ordinary.
YES, dear friend! Your character… and mine… and all of ours is carefully, patiently, and traditionally forged from our life experiences and events.
In short, it’s how how we tend our batch that yields the greatest product.
So the next time you feel overlooked and under appreciated remember that nothing extraordinary ever comes easy.
It takes amazing pressure to make a flawless diamond out of a lump of coal, a lot of heat to refine gold, and a lot of irritation to make a pearl… and so it goes with a fine wine—in the end, all of them become precious… and are objects of desire.
Often, it’s the struggle that makes victory so sweet. For years, I too wondered why I was the invisible man suffering in silence in my cave of Adullam… and then when I was ready, a door opened to a revelation that changed my life and thousands like me, you know it as Wholetones!
Take it from me, God has Great (grape?!) Expectations for your life and He knows exactly what it will take to for you to hit the bullseye of destiny.
There’s only one thing you have to do… NEVER GIVE UP! Great character comes to those who are willing to wait… and patiently tend their batches.
Follow the right path and always trust in God—you’ll be glad you did!
Be Whole,
Michael S. Tyrrell
