The Stress of Ripening
After months of dedicated pruning, the vine undergoes a transformation, channeling its energy away from growth and towards the ripening of the right fruit. This transformative phase is known as veraison, where the once vibrant green grapes begin to shift in color, typically turning red, gray, or yellow depending on the vine's variety. The ripening process turns acidic and tart grapes sweet. However, veraison brings with it a unique form of stress for the vine.
Dave Bos, vinedresser in Traverse City explaining verasion
Verasion
Veraison represents a crucial point in the vine's life cycle, marked by a delicate balance between growth and ripening. It is a pivotal moment, often referred to as the most astringent phase in the vine's journey. Good vinedressers will tell you that in order to produce a quality wine that is unique and dynamic, vines need to undergo a certain level of stress. Some languages even employ terms like 'suffer' or 'struggle' to elucidate this concept.
When we think of stress, we typically associate it with the overwhelming demands of our modern world. It often stems from taking on too much, striving for excessive output, and succumbing to the pressure of heavy workloads, tight deadlines, and lofty expectations. This kind of stress, linked to the productivity mindset of overproduction, can lead to chronic stress and its associated health issues, including high blood pressure, fatigue, anxiety, depression, burnout, and impaired performance. This detrimental stress is commonly known as 'distress'—a type of stress that negatively impacts both the body and mind.
But this is not the kind of stress our loving vinedresser has intended for us. Remember, the goal of a loving vinedresser is not to force the vine into a state of overproduction, which could ultimately harm the vine. The goal isn't quantity but rather quality. If we have yielded to the loving care of the vinedresser during the preceding season, he has already undertaken the rigorous process of pruning us back, allowing us to channel all our energy into ripening the right fruit according to our unique design. This type of stress emerges from the essential challenges and real-world obstacles of living into our true selves and producing the fruit we were created to yield.
This form of stress is aptly termed 'eustress,' defined as 'physical, mental, or emotional tension caused by something positive or psychologically and physically beneficial.' The results of this kind of stress are that we have matured, grown a particular skill, and a sense of invigorating engagement.
It’s also important to note that this stress is short-lived, stemming from the specific challenge of focusing our energies on ripening a particular area. We were not designed to exist in a perpetual state of veraison.
In the process of ripening, we encounter stress that stems from the act of living out our unique expressions in the world—loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30-31) and loving our neighbors as ourselves. What does this entail? It involves giving ourselves wholly to God and our neighbors through the healthy exertion of these faculties. When stress affects the heart, mind, soul, and strength in the pursuit of loving God and others, it leads to personal growth, maturity, adaptability, and the development of sweet, enduring fruit.
The stress of the heart
It’s the stress of loving a family member who suffers from physical or mental illness that matures the soul in selflessness and compassion.
It’s the stress of sitting in someone else’s pain when we don’t know what to say or do that strengthens our empathy muscles.
It’s the stress of breaking up fights and enduring the wild chaos of children that grows our patience and self-control.
The stress of the soul
It is the stress of living into our true selves and diligently pursuing our calling that matures our efforts into fruit that is eternal.
It is the stress of pushing past our comfort zones as we take the risks of following Jesus that cultivate courage and dependence on God.
It is the stress of embarking on creative projects that develops our craft and yields meaningful, unique, and enduring work in the world.
The stress of the mind
It is the stress of learning a new language or skill that forms new neural networks in the brain, enhancing its adaptability.
It is the stress of rigorous study and research that challenges the brain to grow with new material, preparing us for our vocational callings.
It's the stress of launching a new business or ministry, riddled with uncertainty and obstacles, which fosters new skills and increased resilience.
The stress of our strength
It's the stress on the body during marathon training, which causes our bodies to grow in endurance and strength.
It's the stress on muscles during a long day of physical labor that increases muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility.
It's the stress on the heart during physical activities like running or hiking that promotes a healthier and more resilient cardiovascular system.
Good Tired
These various forms of stress on our heart, mind, soul, and strength contribute to our growth and the maturation of our work into lasting fruit. The stress we feel, which leaves us with that 'good tired' sensation at the end of the day, leads to a profound sense of gratitude for a job well done that we can enjoy in satisfaction like savoring a fine wine.
When I was in college ministry, one of the most intense seasons of the year was during new student outreach. Studies show that in the first couple weeks of school, college students make choices about who their friends are and what organizations they will get involved in that will impact the rest of their college career and - the rest of their lives. It is a critical moment in college ministry when we have the opportunity to welcome unsure students looking for a place to belong into a loving community where they can be accepted, loved , and supported to grow in their faith.
During the last couple weeks of August through mid-September, we would be on campus sometimes 12 hours a day, setting up tables, having conversations, welcoming new students and helping them find community. As an introvert, I vividly remember coming home during those times with swollen feet, an exhausted mind, and hands filled with contact cards and tabling materials. Despite the fatigue, I consistently felt the same way—'That was a good, hard day of worthy work.' These were the days when I sensed the Spirit's affirmation, 'Well done, my faithful servant,' as I descended into sleep.
When we spend ourselves on behalf of others, when we love sacrificially, when we ripen the work we were created to make, it is worthy work.
Good Stress or Bad Stress?
I can reflect on moments in my life when I experienced stress due to juggling too many responsibilities, preventing any one of them from fully ripening and maturing. Conversely, I've also endured seasons that felt intensely demanding but felt more like the loving vinedresser’s invitation to dig deep and work hard to ripen something worthwhile.
The foundational question we have to ask ourselves as we seek guidance from our loving vinedresser, is whether the stress we are presently encountering is derived from the 'distress' of overproduction or the 'eustress' of ripening.
As always with the vinedresser and vine, this is a relational discernment process. So how about we pause for a moment and ask our loving vinedresser what He thinks about the stress we are currently under? To aid in this discernment, here are several questions to consider:
Is this stress inducing anxiety, high blood pressure, tension, or depression, or is it invigorating, empowering, and fostering growth?
Is this stress short term due to the nature of this season or is this prolonged stress that has no end in sight?
Is this stress a result of channeling my energy and attention into the work God has called me to do? Or am I experiencing the stress from trying to please too many people or putting undue pressure on myself
Is this stress helping me grow in character, perseverance, maturity, strength, or the skills I need for the future?
Is this stress leading me deeper in dependence on God so I can draw the nutrients I need from Him?
Is the fruit of this stress quality or is my energy fractured in too many directions to make a real positive impact in one area?
A Prayer
May my energy be channeled into the work You have uniquely called me to do. Guard me against striving to appease others or seeking validation, which often leads to the distress of anxiety, fear, and shame. As I wholeheartedly dedicate myself to the work I was crafted for, may the stress of ripening cultivate in me character, perseverance, strength, wisdom, and joy. Through me, may You produce the enduring fruit that reveals Your glory.
Amen
