Abiding in the ‘Ugly’ Vine

The Mediterranean was everything I hoped it would be-cathedrals that took my breath away, markets that made me linger, and art that whispered of everlasting beauty.

In Italy, we wandered through sacred chapels and stood in reverent awe at the Vatican. We marveled at Michelangelo’s David, explored Pompeii’s ruins, tossed coins into the Trevi Fountain, and sat with gelato in hand near the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 

There were no slow mornings- the days were full of beauty, never-ending sights to see, and the kind of pace that fills your camera roll and your soul.

But the moment that marked me most didn’t come with a postcard view.

It came from a vineyard. 

Our guide led us between rows of vines, sharing how her family had tended that land for generations. Then, with a sheepish look, she apologized.

“I’m so sorry. A few weeks ago, this vineyard would’ve been breathtaking. But now it’s pruning season. If we don’t cut the vines back, they won’t grow fruit.”

She wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t beautiful.

The vines looked stripped and sparse. Piles of leafy cuttings lay in brittle heaps at their feet. Every twist, every wire, every bare stem was exposed.

And in that moment, the Holy Spirit whispered:

This is what abiding looks like too.

I’ve had seasons like that. I’m just coming out of one now. God has been pruning me-cutting back things I once held tightly: opportunities I once prayed for, relationships I cherished, even identities I wore like armor. It didn’t feel like growth. It felt like loss. And I found myself wanting to do exactly what the vineyard guide did: apologize.

Apologize for not being “on.” Apologize for not producing more. Apologize for the pruning.

But here’s what I’m learning:

Abiding isn’t about impressing-it’s about staying.

“Abide in Me, and I in you,” Jesus said in John 15:4 (ESV). “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

He didn’t say to flourish.He didn’t say to impress.He said to abide.

Stay-even when it’s not productive.

Stay-even when it feels raw.

Stay-even when fruit is nowhere in sight and things appear bare.

Because the goal of abiding isn’t performance-it’s remaining rooted in connection with Him.

God isn’t asking for perfection. He’s asking for closeness. To remain. To trust Him even when we don’t understand the season we’re in.

And since God is Triune-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-abiding doesn’t mean isolating. It means stepping into intimacy with Him, and yes, with others.

There are moments we’re called to stillness and solitude, just like Jesus on the mountaintop. But even those moments were to reconnect with the Father and return empowered to love and serve.

Isolation isn’t always intimacy.And pruning isn’t always punishment.It’s preparation.

That vineyard-cut back, bare, quiet-wasn’t dying. It was getting ready to bear fruit that would last (John 15:16, ESV).

And maybe you are too.

Maybe your life feels stripped. Maybe your season doesn’t look Instagram-worthy. Maybe you’re tempted to retreat or explain it away.

But don’t call dead what God is preparing to multiply.

Don’t run from what’s rooting you deeper.

Abide.

Because the most fruitful seasons begin in the quiet, tangled, behind-the-scenes places-where trust deepens, roots strengthen, and transformation quietly begins.

If you're wondering how to stay when everything feels stripped, here are three ways I’m learning to abide in the pruning:

1. Get honest with God. Say the hard stuff. Write the unspoken thoughts. Don’t dress up your prayers. God’s not looking for polish. He’s a gentleman, waiting for your permission to meet you exactly where you are.

2. Anchor yourself in identity, not outcome. Remind yourself: “I’m not called to impress-I’m called to abide.” Speak truth over your emotions before fear gets the final word.

3. Take one obedient step-even if it’s wobbly. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s refusing to let fear silence your obedience. Do it sweaty. Do it shaky. But do it anyway.

If you’re walking through a cut-back season, I want you to know you’re not alone.

This is part of abiding. This is where the harvest begins.

Because God doesn’t just work in the fruit. He works in pruning. He meets us in the bare, tangled, unseen spaces…And calls them preparation.

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About the Author: Peggy Easterling is the Founder and CEO of The Mindset School, where she helps faith-driven women identify mindset blocks, renew their thinking, and step boldly into their God-given calling. A summa cum laude Psychology graduate with certifications from The Life Coach School, The Primal Question, and Kingdom Coaching Certification, Peggy equips women-whether in life, leadership, or business-to stop letting fear, shame, or limiting beliefs hold them back. Her clients learn to clear the mental and emotional clutter so they can hear God’s voice, trust it, and move forward with clarity and confidence. Peggy believes God uses the unlikely to do the extraordinary-so He alone gets the glory (1 Corinthians 1:27). Website: TheMindsetSchool.net