“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:2, NIV).
Pruning can be a painful procedure.
And things can look decidedly ugly before the blossoms bloom and prolific floral beauty prevails.
The first time my husband went on a pruning frenzy in our yard, he left nothing but piles of sad-looking sticks in his wake. I was mortified. In my horticultural naivety, I thought he had gone temporarily insane. But he assured me it was for the good of the garden. And, of course, he was absolutely right.
In time, everything grew back healthier, producing more flowers and fruit than ever before.
Friend, like it or not, WE need regular pruning. When we’re ineffective, not realizing our full potential in Christ, it’s down to our gracious Gardener to trim us and shape us. And He does so with such wisdom, kindness, and love—we can rest easy knowing we are in the very best of hands.
There are certainly times we feel discouraged, disoriented, and unsure of our sudden “nakedness” as we’re undergoing the pruning process and thrown off kilter by our uneven branches. It’s hard to imagine we will ever be useful and beautiful again. But eventually, in His time, the buds WILL reappear, and when they do, we see promise and strength and beauty—evidence of God’s handiwork.
The pruning might be painful, but the results will be prolific… for His glory.
