“Ouch”
or “Becoming More Like Jesus”
Each
spring, I enjoy wandering my garden looking at the new growth. I see the result
of work done in the winter cold and rain. Many enjoy the perfume, beauty and
colours that roses bring. However, to achieve this, the plant needs pruning
until it is left looking empty and dead. Then comes spraying to stop the bugs,
and then we WAIT.
John Chapter
15, records Jesus talking with His disciples regarding pruning of a grapevine
and the gardener, as a kingdom principle. He said,
“I am the true vine
and my Father is the gardener. 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” (Jn 15:1-2)
My
rose bushes do not feel the cutting, but sometimes when God is pruning my life,
I scream “Ouch.”
The Master Gardener seasonally cuts back any dead wood in my life, shaping and readying
me for the next growth season. All this, to make me more like Jesus. I keep
reminding myself that it is a journey. He never promised it would be comfortable,
but in verse 16, God says, “He chose me to bear lasting fruit.” What happens
when I bear abundant fruit? He comes and cuts off the fruit. WHY would He do that?
It is to bless others. After pruning, I know it will regrow if I have remained
connected to the vine.
So,
when the seasons of life come and go, never think that God is finished. Going
through the winter helps to appreciate spring and the next yield. Remember, it
is a temporary inconvenience for a permanent improvement! It is never
comfortable, but it is transformational!
Consequently,
when my roses start blooming, I forget how they looked during their seasonal pruning.
I pick some for the enjoyment of others, and stop to smell their perfume, enjoying
what the plant has freely given. I thank the Lord for loving me so much that, He
does not want me to remain the same, but grow to be more like Him.
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