The Vine and the Branches

As I listened to the talk by Elder José A. Teixeira from the most recent conference I was struck by something he said.  He referred to the metaphor of the Savior as the Vine, and us as the branches.  The reference is in John 15:

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Because I have been thinking of the atonement and how it relates to me today I saw something in this example that has never before caught my attention.  If we can picture the vine growing, and a branch laying on the ground, it is clear that it is meaningless to expect that branch to produce anything.  I have always understood that portion of the picture, even if it hits me a little harder now.  But the other part of that is, if you picture the branch connected to the vine, there is no sudden moment when the vine imparts strength to the branch, and in fact there is no time when the branch is not being nourished by the vine.  So in very fact, we are constantly nourished and strengthened by the atonement of Jesus.  The atonement is not just present in our lives, it is central to our lives.