“
Laurel had watched him prune.
Holding the shears in both hands,
he performed a sort of weighty sarabande,
with a lop for this side,
then a lop for the other side,
as though he were bowing to his partner,
and left the bush looking like a puzzle.”
Some in our family are “panicky pruners.” When my husband prunes our trees, my son and I sense the immediate need to rush outside and supervise. We’re reluctant because we fear his cuts will be too drastic. Yet, the trees flourish.
When people visit our area, they comment on how green everything is. Our climate is a bit like living in a greenhouse. In a few seasons, pruning becomes a necessity.
This year my husband cropped our two-story lilac to under five feet tall. Now it’s pumping out new growth like a champ! The apple trees, too, have taken a hard pruning and produced the best apples for savory pies we can find anywhere.
Our pruned lilac
After my husband gently pruned the Japanese Maple in early spring, it sent out crazy shoots that overtook the patio canopy. Now it’s time for more aggressive measures.
I must admit, I’m a converted pruner. I don’t wince about it as I did before. However, there is a kind of pruning that I still resist. It’s God’s. His pruning can hurt. One way I experience His pruning is when He doesn’t answer my prayers as I think He should. How could He take from me what seemed obviously good? And how will He make good come from the devastation that He’s allowed?
I’ve run into the wall of God’s sovereignty many times, and it doesn’t budge. When our wills collide, He refines me. He prunes away my stubbornness and pride. He corrects the assumption that my plan is best and shows me that my help is not needed for things to turn out right. He prunes me down to the core of my faith.
“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.” John 15:2 NIV
This transformation is grueling. God tests my sincerity as I pray The Lord’s Prayer, “Your will be done.” He teaches me humility, surrender, and obedience.
Perhaps you are resistant like me. Do you struggle with yielding to God’s will at times too? I know it can be agonizing.
It has helped me to ponder Jesus’ example. He sweat blood as he surrendered His will to the Father at Gethsemane. Through His obedience, Jesus brought many sons to glory. And His victory over sin and death still bears fruit today!
As His disciples, we will bear fruit, too, as we surrender our lives to God’s purposes. Pruning is part of getting there. Hopefully, we’ll learn to trust Him when life doesn’t make sense—believing that His plans are eternal and good.
In time, we’ll thrive like masterfully pruned trees—fruitful and glorious!
“When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” John 15:8 NIV