Pruning & growth

Sunday reflections from the White Picket Farm LLC Garden.

Last week I sat in the pew of my childhood church. This is the church where I attended Vacation Bible school with the woman who taught me about Jesus, Ruth Brohard.

My visit to the church was a memorial for my Uncle Howard. He is my daddy’s baby brother. They chose the date to bring him home, his birthday. This date is also the anniversary of my dad’s funeral. We buried daddy on Uncle Howard’s birthday 23 years ago. Earthly birthday and heavenly reunion. A gift we all should aspire to.

As I sat and listened to my cousin give the morning message on pruning and growth I thought about my own life. This morning I am moving slow after an evening of outdoor activities. I was busy pruning and prepping shrubs and flowers so they could meet their full potential in this growing season.

When I think about my spiritual life and my personal life, (which should be one and the same), I think of all the things that are distractions from my growth and walk with God.

I worked in the gardens yesterday, pruning branches to redirect nutrients for new growth. I cut out the dead limbs that no longer brought forth life. Gardens and God, this is nothing new, I mean it did all start there. So many life lessons from the garden.

I think about all the busyness in my life. My days and often nights, are filled with busy. But, what things could be pruned that keep me from being all that God has planned? Are there branches that make me look full, but bring forth no blossom? Are there plants I am tending, but they are not suited for my soil? Do I need to pluck away weeds that steal much needed energy for the flowers? My garden, and my purpose - to glorify God, can only meet their full potential if I have enough energy to grow. Remove the things that suck energy and joy. Not every plant or shrub was meant for my environment, rather than continue to spend time, energy, and resources to triage something that was never meant to be, prune, pluck away, and remove the distraction.

The are many parallels to faith, a successful garden, and spiritual joy. But one real fertilizer, Jesus. Today, I reflect on distractions that keep me from meeting my spiritual potential and God’s glory. When the spirit is full, the heart is full. When the heart is full, there is not room left for the weeds of stress, anxiety and fear. They no longer have the energy to grow.

May you reflect on things that suck your energy, distract from growth, dead in the spirit, and find the courage to prune! He is the vine and for us to bring forth fruit and not wither, we must direct our energy to those things for which he has designed for our purpose.

John 15:2

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He

takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.