This article is from Ester Montefalcone, the National Director for YFC Italy, who oversees the Youth for Christ work throughout Italy. She lives in Bologna.

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“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing” John 15:5 (The Message)

For many of us, September is the real start of the year. Summer is like a divide, therefore all the activities and programs naturally end in June and have to restart in September. As we restart, we sit down and discuss visions and strategies, and reflect on what we would like to keep from the previous year and what we are ready to throw away or to change. In any case, this is a time for conversations, evaluations and planning.

If we are honest, even though not necessarily arrogant, if we have served for a long time in some capacity, we have developed the skills and acquired the experience that may allow us to go forward even just in our own strength. There are many scenarios that keep coming back and that we have learned to handle. For the new ones, we hope for some help or in some coworker with the right skills. Then, for those things which are not under our control (health, the weather, bad things that may happen, and so on), we trust in God. But what is Jesus saying with these words that the apostle John wrote down? Is He simply encouraging us to say “God help us!” or to believe that “God helps those who help themselves”? Well, we do not need an expert in Biblical exegesis to understand that here Jesus is pronouncing very drastic words. He is saying that without Him we can do nothing, not even a thing! He is not speaking about things like youth meetings, programs and activities, but about fruit that is the result of an intimate and real relationship with Him. Without such relationship, it will be impossible to see that fruit.

Fruit is the evidence of the inner life of a plant. I think of such fruit as the evidence of a new essence: humility. It has been said that “humility is not so much a grace or a virtue along with others; it is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before God, and allows Him as God to do all” (Andrew Murray, Humility, Amazon edition, p. 5). Humility is therefore the true essence of a Christian that produces the fruit. Murray adds that the creature has as “its chief care, its highest virtue, its only happiness, now and through eternity, to present itself an empty vessel, in which God can dwell and manifest His power and goodness” (Murray, p. 4). Only good fruit can sprout up from such good land. It may not be the fruit we wrote down in our planning templates, but certainly it will be a fruit that will manifest the life of Christ in us. And this is what young people need the most!

Let’s start this ministry year telling God that we want to be a soil made of humility and we only desire fruit that grows in such soil. Prayer is the response of a humble heart that goes to God saying that we cannot do a thing without Him. Let’s approach Him then asking Him to speak to us and to lead us. Let’s bring to Him our plans and ideas and let’s tell Him that He has all the authority to change them, to accomplish them or to throw them away.

Blessings sisters,

Ester Montefalcone
ester@yfcitalia.org