The Pruning Process

I have houseplants, I think most people do. I’ve always had them because they brighten the atmosphere with their life, something lovely living with me. They of course require care; they are totally dependent on me. They let me know when they need water by their drooping leaves and then I take care of their need.

One thing I also take note of is dead leaves. They need pruning and I am faithful to do that when I become aware of them. They spoil the loveliness of the plants and I want to see them look their best, to bring beauty into the room where they are placed.

Like the plants, we need pruning, too. Just as I see the need and prune, God takes note of the things, attitudes and behaviors in our lives that diminish the beauty he has created. I really don’t know if my plants sense that I am pruning them, but I can recognize when I am being pruned, because it can sometimes be painful when he cuts away the things that mar and impede his presence. The face and attitudes we show the world need to be real, genuinely Christ-like: his love, grace and mercy. He diligently cuts away the dead way of living, the things we cling to that cause us to stumble.

My plants don’t have a choice when I prune them and neither do we, but the end result is worth it. The loveliness is restored for awhile. I say for awhile because more pruning will be necessary, and so it is with us. Until the day we are called home, the pruning process will continue and we should be glad for that. We are slowly being transformed and the final result will be endless beauty.

Pruning is not pleasant, but it is necessary. When you feel the pain of things being stripped away, remind yourself that you are becoming more as Jesus was when he walked among us and becoming more as he is now as well, to which we should say, “prune away, prune away.”