So I’m outside mowing the yard today and I get frustrated (not for the first time) with 2 specific areas of my yard that aren’t growing. We have an in ground sprinkler system and there is no reason why the grass shouldn’t grow in these two areas. I finish mowing and run the sprinklers for that zone to see why this might be happening. What I saw I never would have realized. As the sprinklers were running I noticed that two of our trees, specifically the branches that had grown to many “extensions”, were blocking the sprinklers from reaching all the grass. I walked to my shed, grabbed my pruning shears and went to work. I removed every branch that was in the way from the water reaching where it needed to go. Test run #2 SUCCESS!
As I was working I thought of the verse in John 15 which says “He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”
Now I know this verse is speaking more on a personal level, but it got me thinking of something deeper. Those trees are a GREAT addition to our yard. They aren’t “bad” trees, BUT, they needed to be pruned for the greater good of the yard as a WHOLE. How many times does God need to prune us, not just for US, but for the greater good of the Kingdom? Sometimes pruning needs to be done so that the KINGDOM can advance, not just to better my personal spiritual life.
When God begins to prune, don’t take it personally. It is a GOOD thing for God to prune our lives. It enables us to be even MORE fruitful. And perhaps, maybe someone else will be able to receive water better after you’ve been pruned. God sees the BIG picture. He sees parts of the yard that need pruned and others that need water. Where are you?
Being Pruned,
Jeff
