“Taking Strength Unto Themselves”

The Lord of the vineyard and his servant were discouraged when they visited the olive trees for the third time. All of the trees were producing bad fruit. “What could I have done more for my vineyard?” the Lord asked repeatedly. (See Jacob 5:41, 47, 49; see also 2 Nephi 15:4, Isaiah 5:4.)

When he asked his servant what had caused this tragedy, the servant provided the following explanation:

Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard—have not the branches thereof overcome the roots which are good? And because the branches have overcome the roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves. Behold, I say, is not this the cause that the trees of thy vineyard have become corrupted?

Jacob 5:48

I wrote yesterday about trusting the roots. Today, I’m thinking about how to handle lofty branches which may be more than the roots can handle. When the fundamental goals are good but the outcomes are not meeting expectations, we might consider whether our activities—the branches at the top of the plant—have outgrown the ability of the roots to nourish them.

Sister Ardeth G. Kapp explained the servant’s words this way: “The branches of the tree—like our overcrowded lives—had ‘overcome the roots,’ or grown faster than the roots, ‘taking strength unto themselves’ and leaving the roots undernourished (Jacob 5:48).”

Sister Kapp explained that we need to be very clear about our goals: what we really want. Then, we need to be careful that our activities don’t multiply and “[take] strength unto themselves,” to the detriment of the roots. She cautioned us:

The feeling of…being out of control, is contrary to our divine nature. We cannot feel the Spirit or the peace and joy of each day when we are burdened beyond our ability to handle it all. I believe that if it were possible, the adversary would keep us busily engaged in a multitude of good things in an effort to distract us from the few vital things that make all the difference….

Now this task of cutting back on some of our activities is really the hard part. It may seem as painful as cutting off an arm or a leg. It requires determination. Pruning is hard. It can come only after pondering and praying to know what we’re willing to cut out to provide more time for what we really desire.

“Pray Not for Light Burdens but for Strong Backs,” Brigham Young University Devotional Address, 29 April 2004

Today, I will prune my activities so that they don’t overpower my goals. I will be intentional about what I choose to do and ensure that my actions support my objectives, instead of taking “strength unto themselves.”