Yesterday I had finally had it.
After mowing the lawn, I inspected the grounds one last time. Then, with a determined nod, I grabbed a pair of medium-size pruning shears and went to work.
Offending branches that constantly scratched the exterior of the house during windy weather and disturbed the peace of those trying to rest inside… gone!
Tiny branches that grew straight up inside the tree and tried to crowd out the light source… gone!
Low-hanging branches that threatened to whack anyone who dared come close… gone!
With a proud smile and sore muscles, I stepped back to take a look at the neatened trees.
Good, I sighed, wiping the sweat and bits of bark off my brow. Now I don’t have to worry about tree branches getting tangled up in the roof, yanking my hair, or poking my midsection on the way into the house.
That sense of satisfaction must be what God feels when He has to prune us due to our irritating and unhealthy habits and character issues.
John 15:2 says, “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” (NIV).
From God’s perspective, He knows exactly what He needs to do to make the tree grow strong and be a fruitful blessing to those around it. He knows just how to make that tree beautiful, strong, and functional.
Just as I had to do to get to those inner branches that wouldn’t let go, God has to get right into the thick of things in your life. He tugs on those areas that aren’t holy. He lops off those spindly, weak tendrils that are distracting you from reaching your full growth. He continually saws on those hardened branches that are selfishly seeking to go their own way.
And you know what? Not only do you feel the pain of being pruned, but He does too.
He might not literally get sore muscles, as I probably will. But He is pained by our lack of willingness to let Him do the work He needs to do. We make Him spiritually sore when we continue to hold on and resist Him. We wound the Holy Spirit when we disobey by fighting him.
So next time God is cutting away dead wood in your life, try to remember that you aren’t the only one who is hurting. God is getting “blisters” while He is working on you.
But thank God for His work! Without it, we would never be able to showcase His glory.
– Laura J. Bagby
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September 17, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Laura Martin
I feel like I’m covered everywhere with scruffy branches and wayward leaves. I know God uses little hand-clippers to refine me little by little, but, in my humanity, I sure do wish He’d use a huge gas-powered hedge clipper and just whack me down to perfection in one fell swoop.
September 17, 2009 at 3:45 PM
mannaforthemoment
The quick band-aid approach, eh? Not a bad idea from a human perspective.
God tends to do it in little parts, probably because if He did try to whack main branches down all at once, we wouldn’t be able to stand. He is kind to do it slowly, even if it still hurts.