Are you keeping your Vineyard?

Song of Solomon 1:6 Do not look upon me, because I [am] dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the vineyards, [But] my own vineyard I have not kept.

When I read this text, a vineyard to me represents a lot of things. The woman here is stating how her skin has become dark, probably from toiling under the sun, tending someone else’s garden.

Now we’ve been taught it’s good to serve others—work at a place faithfully before you launch out to pursue your own career or business, but this scripture talks of a blessed person who never kept her vineyard.

Keeping means, to retain possession of, own and manage, honour or fulfil ...

When the woman says she didn’t keep her vineyard, she means she didn’t retain possession of her business (She missed minding her own business). She didn’t manage or fulfil its purpose. She didn’t keep records of the daily profits by QuickBooks or by Microsoft excel sheet. Weeds must have grown in her vineyard. Can you relate? Is this woman you?

Do you have a passion and skill? I’m not advising you to quit your job; I’m encouraging you to grow your skills/talent to earn you some cash beside your ‘main job’!

The other revelation I receive from this story is that part where she says ‘my brothers’. Your family or friends could be encouraging you to work for them, or to stick at that job doing nothing else.

At the beginning of the second lockdown in Uganda, I was job hunting since I was going to have many months back at home. I heard God tell me, “I have given you vineyards you haven’t tended.”

I have an art business and a social media management company I started with two other friends last year. We hate stagnation, and most cases, it’s not that we don’t own vineyards. We are just bored! We want to work for companies whose speed is up & running, forgetting that all those companies had their owners put in the work…and that they were where you are one time.

We see Moses make great of Joshua, but could he have forgotten his vineyard; Gershom his son. We don’t see him talked about anywhere else except the fact that he had been born!

Other versions of the verse say ‘I was made to look after the complexion of the earth, but I didn’t look after my complexion.’

You’d be a good salesman making another company look good. But yours is heading for the gutters. Maybe you’re a pastor. Always giving, always working, always preaching, always putting others first before yourself (which is not bad) but forgetting to REST! Your body may burn out, and you’d begin complaining!

Manage yourself as well. Take rest. Go on a vacation. Watch a movie. Hangout with friends. Create time for your children. Read the bible just for yourself and not because you have an obligation to speak behind a pulpit somewhere. Buy yourself some new clothes. Give time to your businesses and hobbies as well!

God has entrusted you with great things. Don’t go blind building others’ great things and abandon the ones God has given you; That is unfaithfulness!

Keep, tend, look after your own vineyard as well!