Prune Me Lord!

Nice & Wavy

Well-Known Member
“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” (John 15:1 NIV).


In 2006, I sat down to write my annual Christmas letter and it began with these words: “This year has been a year of change.” Then I realized that I had begun last year’s traditional letter the same way! I tore up the letter and decided to skip our Christmas letter that year.


Have you ever had one of those years when everything in your life seemed to change? I had two years in succession where God left no area of my life untouched…except my marriage. I did get to keep my husband. My son graduated from college, I stepped down from leadership at Proverbs 31 Ministries where I had served for ten years and my voice went off the radio for the first time in a decade. But perhaps the biggest change was that we left a home we had built and lived in for twenty years. You can imagine the wonderful memories that filled each room. My adult son’s two-year-old handprints were stamped in the concrete of the driveway, his growth was charted on the kitchen doorframe, and echoes of laughter and tears lingered in the now empty rooms.



But Steve and I packed up our memories and moved out into the country to a beautiful lake. And while we loved the view and the house, the yard was a mess. The shrubbery around the house was terribly overgrown and there were just too many bushes. Steve began the arduous task of cutting the bushes back, and while he is quite a Rambo with a hedge trimmer, the job was too big for him. We hired a crew to finish the job. The men hauled off truck loads of trimmings. All-in-all, they carted away 2,000 pounds of cuttings!



As I watched the last dump truck pull away from our newly trimmed yard, God began to show me a picture. He seemed to tell me that over the past two-years, He had been pruning my life in order to make room for healthy new growth. My life had become too full with what I had been comfortable doing. Yes, there was fruit, but He wanted me to produce more fruit. The only way to make room for what He had in store was to lop off areas of my life that had become overgrown. Was it comfortable? No. Was it spiritually profitable? Yes.



Jesus explained this process to the disciples in one of their last conversations together before the cross: “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” (John 15:1).



As you move into the New Year, ask God what parts of your busy schedule need to be pruned or cut back. Perhaps, like me, He has some new and exciting ventures waiting just around the corner and He’s waiting for you to make room in your life before He reveals them.


Dear God, sometimes I don’t like it when you prune my life. It’s uncomfortable and I’m not crazy about change. However, I know that You are the gardener who knows what is best to produce the best crop in my life. Forgive me when I whine and complain about the process. Help me to trust You more and give up what needs to be removed with an attitude of expectancy and anticipation of a bumper crop of spiritually healthy fruit.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen
 
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You know what Precious Wavy?

It wasn't until I began to 'cut' my hair, that it started to grow, longer, stronger, healthier and 'faster'. Yes... :yep: Faster!

The ends were beyond repair; life was no longer in them. For they had been weathered, feathered, and torn. Cutting them away, allowed new hair to be born.

Jesus said of the branches, "If it doesn't produce fruit, cut it off."

I cut off my hair...

Now I know why fruit and veggies are called 'Produce'. They are a product of what's been pruned, for healthy growth.

Excellent thread topic, Precious Wavy... :yep:
 
You know what Precious Wavy?

It wasn't until I began to 'cut' my hair, that it started to grow, longer, stronger, healthier and 'faster'. Yes... :yep: Faster!

The ends were beyond repair; life was no longer in them. For they had been weathered, feathered, and torn. Cutting them away, allowed new hair to be born.

Jesus said of the branches, "If it doesn't produce fruit, cut it off."

I cut off my hair...

Now I know why fruit and veggies are called 'Produce'. They are a product of what's been pruned, for healthy growth.

Excellent thread topic, Precious Wavy... :yep:

Thanks, sis. ITA with you...I found the same to be true when I cut my hair as well.

When I first read this, it blessed me because I know the pruning process is inevitable.

Praise the Lord.

Now, I'm on my way to church! Have a blessed service today!

Luv ya!
 
Great topic! I got cut back in a few ways recently, mostly in my personal relationships and financial life. I am now growing in those areas, and although the pruning was painful and I felt bare, I am now feeling expectant. :yep::yep:
 
Great topic! I got cut back in a few ways recently, mostly in my personal relationships and financial life. I am now growing in those areas, and although the pruning was painful and I felt bare, I am now feeling expectant. :yep::yep:

Wow, that is awesome! Thanks for posting!
 
Thanks Nice and Wavy.

I think there is some pruning going on with me and people around me right now. It's so crazy. All the things right now that seem like a horrible start (my aunt got robbed, I am about to lose my job ((find out Tuesday)) as well as my friend about to lose hers as she found out the same day I did and we live in two seperate states). Yet I am not down at all. Yes, I have not a dollar to my name, but I know and love the LORD so much, I realize none of this even matters. I will not walk with my head down. I am ready because truly he believes I am ready for the next thing. I expect challenges big and small. I actually now love them because I get a chance to say "Father, I love you too much for this to defeat me." I know where my real home is. Nothing, I mean nothing will touch me in the test of my faith and belief in Christ.

Thanks again for this wonderful post. 80 thumbs up. :yep:
 
Thanks Nice and Wavy.

I think there is some pruning going on with me and people around me right now. It's so crazy. All the things right now that seem like a horrible start (my aunt got robbed, I am about to lose my job ((find out Tuesday)) as well as my friend about to lose hers as she found out the same day I did and we live in two seperate states). Yet I am not down at all. Yes, I have not a dollar to my name, but I know and love the LORD so much, I realize none of this even matters. I will not walk with my head down. I am ready because truly he believes I am ready for the next thing. I expect challenges big and small. I actually now love them because I get a chance to say "Father, I love you too much for this to defeat me." I know where my real home is. Nothing, I mean nothing will touch me in the test of my faith and belief in Christ.

Thanks again for this wonderful post. 80 thumbs up. :yep:

You are welcome, sis. And the one thing I know....God will never, ever fail you...no matter what it looks like.

I will be praying for you....blessings!
 
NW, thanks for sharing.

tatje - I'm praying for you that you won't lose your job and that if you do that God has something so much greater in store for you.:yep:
 
I really hadn't stopped to see it for pruning but that's what it is.

The last three years, God has taken away, people, including my Dad and now, daddy's little girl has no choice but to trust God totally.

He took me out of the choir, he took me from the work place and allows me to work from home where I have time to seek his face, he took me out of everything that I thought meant something to him as far as my purpose is concern. There's one friend that I keep hanging on to that I know he wants me to let go and this year someway, some how she's going to because I want all my blessings and not part of it.

I do feel that he's about to give my life even more purpose. The pruning didn't feel good but I'm so anticipating the growth and the good that's getting ready to come forth.

Thanks for this post.
 
I really hadn't stopped to see it for pruning but that's what it is.

The last three years, God has taken away, people, including my Dad and now, daddy's little girl has no choice but to trust God totally.

He took me out of the choir, he took me from the work place and allows me to work from home where I have time to seek his face, he took me out of everything that I thought meant something to him as far as my purpose is concern. There's one friend that I keep hanging on to that I know he wants me to let go and this year someway, some how she's going to because I want all my blessings and not part of it.

I do feel that he's about to give my life even more purpose. The pruning didn't feel good but I'm so anticipating the growth and the good that's getting ready to come forth.

Thanks for this post.

Amen, dreamer. I too am in a pruning process and just like I anticipate Spring, so that I can prune and prepare some plants and trees and see wonderful growth and incredible blooms, so I do wait upon the Lord to see His great work in my life. This year, 2008 is a year of refreshing for me...and I am excited about that.
 
Thanks Nice and Wavy for posting this! I am very familiar with the pruning process, because I have gone through it last year and I feel that I am still going through it. This post makes me know that it was all for my good and that I have great things in store for this year!
 
Thanks Nice and Wavy for posting this! I am very familiar with the pruning process, because I have gone through it last year and I feel that I am still going through it. This post makes me know that it was all for my good and that I have great things in store for this year!

Hey sis...you are welcome!
 
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