I am so pleased to welcome my friend and fellow writer, Julee Wilson, to share an excerpt from her pictorial devotional, Seasons: Autumn to Winter. I am so blessed by her inspirational story, and I know you will be as well.
John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
She placed the bucket on the soft ground next to her feet. She carefully inspected the rich purple globes in each cluster. She marveled at the intricacy of the design. She has watched through the seasons: early Spring, as the new, tiny green leaves began to sprout from the old entangled vines; Spring into Summer, as the tiny little buds of grapes began to appear among the leaves; Summer, as the clusters grew in size and deepened in color; and now Autumn, as the clusters took on the rich purple hue, signifying their readiness.
She was not a vineyard owner. She was not an expert. This made her marvel even more at God’s grand design - not only of the design of the fruit but of the whole life cycle of the growing-to-harvest process. What kind of fruit would the vines produce this year? Good fruit? Did she take care of the vineyards well? Did she prune correctly in the Spring when the tiny leaves grew into long winding branches? Did she make sure the weeds in between the rows were weeded and the vines well-watered?
She turned the cluster she had just snipped over in her hand. She thanked the Lord for His Word and His patient, steady work in her. Did she produce good fruit? What good work was the Master Vintner producing in her? She gently placed the cluster into the bucket and inspected the next bunch. She hoped that the slow and steady work that produced these grapes was at work in her as well. She grew excited at the prospect that He would reveal her fruit when it was ripe and ready.
*Copyright 2020 Julee Wilson. Used by permission.
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More about the author: Julee Wilson has always loved writing and story-telling. She is so grateful that God has given her this gift in order to “go forth and share the gospel message to the nations.” She has written a pictorial devotional called Seasons: Autumn to Winter, in which she incorporates her love of nature, photography, and God’s word. You can also find her sharing her personal journey with God on Facebook, Instagram, and her website at There Go My Marbles. She is wife to her husband of 24 years and mom to two college-aged children, whom they homeschooled. She enjoys reading, binge-watching British shows, nature hikes, and co-leading and teaching Bible Studies through her church’s Women’s Ministry and Children’s ministry.
Connect with Julee through her website: There Go My Marbles
*A copy of Julee's book, Seasons: Autumn to Winter will be given away in a drawing. If you are on my email list, you will automatically be entered in the drawing. You can sign up for my email list at the bottom of any page on my blog. Anyone responding to this post through this website, my email, or Facebook will be entered in the drawing an additional time. The drawing will be held on September 30th.
You can purchase her book by clicking on this link: Purchase Seasons: Autumn to Winter.
*Note: This is an affiliate link. If you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission to help defray the costs associated with maintaining this website.
