I have been reading through the book of Song of Songs and a couple of scriptures that jumped out at me as I read it this time was all vineyards.
In Song of Songs it reads 1:6 "My mother's sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I had to neglect."
So often we can be looking after other people's vineyards, other peoples fields, and our own can come into a state of neglect, often without even realising it. In the scripture above it writes they 'made me take care of', but often it's not other people making it, rather we sometimes can't say no, or perhaps we have lost sight of what is important, or we have just got busy and we haven't even noticed.
I know as a mother we often look after our children's welfare before our own. In our job we can look after the welfare of the business we are working for, or if we are the boss, the employees in our care. In marriage we become familiar with one another that 'dating' may gone out the window as the 'romance' gets caught up in the mundane. Perhaps at church you are busy doing things in church that you might miss altogether what God is saying and doing in a service. All good things, but the beautiful reminder of this scripture is that we remember not to neglect the state of our own vineyard.
Recently as a team we have been praying and asking the Lord to catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. (Song of Songs 2:15). We have been praying this because there are little things that like a little fox, want to come in and ruin our vineyards, but if we see them then we can deal with them. Little things like negativity for example that wants to come in and ruin that culture of faith we are trying to produce in our vineyard. Little foxes in our relationships with one another for example thinking the worst rather than the best of a person. Little foxes that perhaps that bring in doubt, questioning and confusion instead of clarity of thinking and direction.
The other scripture that talked about vineyards in Song of Songs was in chapter 8 verses 11 and 12. "Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Hamon; he let out his vineyard to tenants. Each was to bring for its fruit a thousand shekels of silver. But my own vineyard is mine to give;"
What struck me with this verse, that my own vineyard is mine to give. No one can take it from you, unless you give it to them. And we can freely give to whomever we choose, do with it whatever we please but the power remains in our hands. Therefore the fruit of the vineyard is due to the one who tends the vines. If we look after it, it will be fruitful, but if we neglect it and allow foxes to come in and ruin the vines, then there will not be much fruit to show.
I want to be a person who is 'fruitful' in all that I do, I want to be a person who can share my fruit with those in need, I want to be a person who has enough to give to others, not holding it all for myself and so therefore I need to take time to tend to my vineyard, not just everyone else's. I need to be wise like the wise virgins who had enough oil that when the bridegroom arrived, they were found ready. (Matt 25)
It has and continues to be a difficult journey to make time for myself and to care about myself, and so these scriptures from Song of Songs is a great reminder not to neglect my own vineyard. But I realise unless I do take 'time out' for me, then I have nothing to give others.
If you are anything like me, let me encourage you to take some time and to 'come away' with your beloved, to come away and find some time to be refreshed, to do some things you might enjoy. You might like photography, or going to the movies, or taking a walk on the beach, but whatever it is where you get refreshed, can see things clearly and hear his voice, then let me encourage you in that and may your vineyard be fruitful 😊