Pruning

John 15:2 – “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.”

Hebrews 12:11 – “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

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I decided to work on some long overdue maintenance on my house plants. Some that used to be

beautiful are now scraggly. If the part I can see needs trimming, I can’t imagine what’s waiting for me

buried in the dirt. I started with an oldie that was a melange of various plants from my mother’s funeral

over a dozen years ago. It looked pretty good for the most part, green with some scraggly dry leaves and

a little leggy and overgrown. But over time I’ve learned to not be fooled by the okayness I see in front of

me, remembering there is more to the plant than what I can see, which is the mess that has settled in

below the soil line. I couldn’t even remember the last time I repotted them. The plants can’t take care of

themselves so it’s up to me to have at it and do the proverbial out with the old and in with the new. I know

what to do to restore them.

I pulled everything out of the pot and found a tangled mishmash of intertwined roots that took up most of

the space in the dirt. First I decided which plants were not doing very well and were likely damaging the

more healthy ones in the arrangement. They were removed. The others got significant root pruning and

removal of dead or struggling leaves and stems that would hinder new growth. Next was fresh soil with

the nutrients needed to get them going again on the right footing, (or rooting if you will), followed by a

good watering. That pot now looks pretty lean, but I know that because of the pruning and refreshed soil

plants will settle in and come back to once again be the lush, beautiful things they were before.

Over time even though I can look “okay” on the outside, sometimes on the inside I have been a

mishmash of should haves, shouldn’t haves, putting off what I need to do, let my prayer life get raggedy,

and just not been as connected to God as both He and I would like. I’ve noticed that if I don’t do some self

examination and reconnect solidly with Him, He will get my attention one way or the other. God has put

me through some significant pruning, which can be tough to go through. He has guided me through the

tossing of bad habits, along with thoughts and plans that were unhealthy for me and stood in the way of

my spiritual growth and my ability to faithfully serve Him during my race here on earth. It is refreshing and

renewing to reaffirm my focus on worshiping, praising, and just soaking up the Lord, and getting back on

His track, not mine. He does this not only because He loves us and wants us to be with Him forever, but

He also wants us to be ready to shine His light on others through us and share His gospel. Have you ever

felt as if you were getting spiritually raggedy? How has God gotten your attention?

Janet Witt