Jesus loved to use parables and metaphors to explain who he was. This is one of them: Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5).

After this seemingly odd comparison, he then shared an agricultural principle that everyone can understand. When a branch remains connected to the vine, everything is fine. When a branch is disconnected from the vine, it dies.

When we think about our lives, it’s easy to confuse branches for vines and vines for branches.

We can mistake a branch for the vine when we turn to other people to give us what only Jesus can provide. For example, parents tend to overbook their schedules when they try to get their child involved in every possible way. Their child becomes their vine.

We can also get mixed up when we think of ourselves as the vine. We think that the world will stop spinning if we don’t show up at work or if we’re not there to help a loved one. That puts a lot of pressure on us.

But there is extraordinary peace when we let Jesus sort out who is who. He is the vine. We are the branches. We have all we need when we are connected to him.

When you begin to feel the pressure of impossible expectations, or when you feel that others aren’t meeting your needs, just repeat these words to yourself: Jesus is my vine. I am his branch.