As I entered middle school – way back when – my dad had just completed building a new house for our family. We moved in and all seemed so bare. The inside of the house needed to be decorated and have things hung on the walls. As well as the outside of the house that needed grass, trees, and landscaping.
Years later we had settled in and it felt like home. Mom had done an awesome job. The inside was beautiful and the landscaping was immaculate. It was gorgeous. Our trees were no longer little twigs – they were full grown beautiful trees that provided a lot of shade.
One day Daddy announced he needed to prune the trees so they would grow back even fuller. He went about his business and I continued to jam out to my 45’s in my room. Those were the days, right?
Later when I went outside, I about croaked! The trees were pruned alright. Heavens, they were branchless. I was so embarrassed. Our beautiful shaded yard was now just bare with tree trunks standing. Of course, I gave my dad grief. But he assured me that those trees would grow back even fuller than before.
Months – MANY months – later I learned what pruning was all about – growth. Daddy was right. The trees were bigger, fuller, and producing even more branches than before.
The dictionary describes pruning as: To cut off or remove dead or living parts or branches to improve shape or growth.
Just as I witnessed my daddy improving the shape of those trees, I am now witnessing my Heavenly Daddy improving the shape and growth in my life. I’m being pruned.
First I want to scream “Ouch! This is embarrassing. Quit cutting branches off my tree trunk.”
Second I feel naked as I stand branchless. In every aspect of my life (family, church, and ministry) the past few months the branches have been shaken or cut off.
I’m banking on my daddy and Heavenly Daddy being right. I will be a new creation full of new sprouts.
Through this process, God has brought many landscapers into my life to assure me the pruning will bear much fruit. I am growing ever how slowly it may be.
Pruning does create growth! Amazing, I think I see a new sprout budding.
I can so relate to this post. Seems the Lord has his pruning shears out and being used on a lot of us lately. Especially in ministry is where He seems to be pruning me.
I think the worst part of the pruning He is doing in my life is the silence. I know He is there but He is working ever so silently in the background. I’m a let-me-see-you-working-and-I’m-ok-with-it kind of girl, but when He is silent, it drives insane.
Take care
Leah
I think this pruning is a preparing for a new ‘spring’ thing.
Isa 43:19
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.
The shears are on me too. B
Yep, it's that season. I wrote a piece on pruning last week. Praise the Lord for HE prunes us just right so we can bear fruit & more fruit.
Love & blessings-
Shonda
Me, too. Ouch.
It does create growth, but boy does it hurt sometimes. In end its worth it. I loved your insights.
Alene, this was simply great today! I,too, wrote a post on Pruning a couple of weeks ago but you have brought out so much more that I had even thought about! And have you thought about “grafting”? Perhaps while He is pruning, He will graft in something entirely new. Just a thought that came through my mind.
Marilyn
HI Alene
(((Hugz))) It was so good to see you when you came to visit. Ahh Pruning is what is needed, but yet like you said it can leave us feeling open , so invaded, but when the Lord in his wisdom does the pruning we know that our spirit and soul will mature and bloom ever so beautifully in his holiness.
Hugz Lorie