Cut that OUT! The value of Pruning & Growth

Cut that OUT! The value of Pruning & Growth

John 15:2  

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Today, I took the day off work to get some things done for my real estate clients and get caught up (somewhat) at home.  As I was standing at the back door, I was gazing out at the small gardens that we had helped the kids plant earlier in the season.  They were really excited about about the prospect of taking care of plants until about the third week into it.  Then it became mostly my project.  That is another blog post.

What struck me, though, as I stood and contemplated how little fruit we had harvested from the garden, was how little we had pruned any of the plants in the garden.  Although I am an amateur gardener, at best, I still realize the value of pruning.  Once a garden plant is established and it has enough area to produce fruit, the plant requires pruning of some of its branches which will not produce as much fruit so that the more productive branches will maximize their fruitfulness.

It is the gardener's job to know which branches to cut and which ones to leave.  And, even in the branches left to fruit, the gardener still must keep new shoots at a minimum.  All this will allow the plant to focus its energy, not on expanding its area of growth, but on growing fruit in the areas it has already developed.

Even though the kids were excited to see their gardens grow six feet tall and at least that many feet wide, they would have been even more excited to actually have a decent harvest from their plants.  I had just failed to lead the kids through the practice of pruning their plants to maximize fruitfulness.  Thus, we only realized a small amount of produce from their plants.

What does this have to do with me?  I am not a gardener.

In our lives, we grow in different areas.  If we do not allow God to prune our growth and just let ourselves grow wild, we will stretch ourselves too thin and not produce fruit in the areas where we could maximize our produce.  We may produce some fruit.  But, it will be nowhere near the harvest had we focused our energy on the areas where we are called to be fruitful.

Although we may have a decent understanding of our own lives, with God's wisdom and pruning shears we truly narrow down to the areas where we will be most effective in our pursuits (Heb 12:6).  If we spread too thin and too wide, we lack the energy to devote to being truly fruitful (Isa 18:5).  But, when we submit to the hand of the Father, he helps us focus our energy on bearing fruit in the branches which he would have us cultivate.

Perfection can never be perfect

I have been procrastinating on posting a blog for about a week and a half  now.  I keep getting ideas from God about things to write.  But, I have a standard of writing that I would like to keep up before I post anything.  I do not appreciate shoddy writing, things spouted off without appropriate sourcing, or even poor grammar & mechanics.  Sound familiar.  Working on my Master's thesis had to be one of the most painful experiences imaginable, and I even ENJOYED the subject matter.  I am, what you might call, a perfectionist in sheep's clothing.  I act laid back about a great many things, even though I expect my work to be better than average.

At the same time that I write this, I have about ten, half-started posts sitting in my drafts folder, waiting for me to get some time to write them.  This post, however, is going out without the normal rigmarole that usually happens with my compositions.  I have a feeling there are a great many people out there that can relate to this mentality, which is why I feel so strongly about getting this done, without the perfection.  I am putting this through one draft, with minor corrections, and that is it.

As you can see, this is an issue I have struggled with for quite some time, and not just in my writing, but throughout many aspects of my life.  I want my parenting to be perfect, my husbandry, my work, my friendship, my speaking, my studies, my ministry, and even my Christian walk.  Being the sinful person that I am, the perfection will never happen.  Deep down I understand the concept.  It is just difficult to realize that and make it part of my daily thought process.

By no means am I promoting mediocrity.  On the contrary, we should live for God in everything we do; "Do everything as if unto the Lord." Col 3:23-24  Our work should reflect a level of excellence that exhibits our love for God and how it pours through us out into the world.  But, we must realize that in our human form, apart from heaven, nothing we do will ever meet an expectation of perfection.  As imperfect creatures, we should realize that the power of Christ shows through our weaknesses (2 Cor 12:9).  And, regardless of our failings we need to continue pressing ahead to accomplish the ministry and plans that God has laid out for us (Phil 3:12-14) for it is not through our holiness, but our surrendered lives that the Spirit of God can work in the lives of others.

Just remember that although we have done things which separate us from our heavenly Father, he has sent his Son to cover up those imperfections and bring us into communion with him (Isa 59:2; 53:6).

New beginnings in life's journey

The pre-dawn sky in western Oklahoma on the way to Enid.

Sometimes we start a journey without thinking about the value of logging experiences along the way.  The importance of keeping a record of thoughts recently became clear to me through one of the speakers I listen to on the radio.  So, as I continue my expedition toward a closer relationship with God, becoming a better spiritual leader to my family, fulfilling my role as husband and father, and working through the struggles in my own life, I plan to plant some ideas here that will hopefully blossom into wisdom for myself and others.

The thought dawned on me while talking to my wife one night about her starting a similar endeavor.  I believe that I need the outlet to put into words the concepts that God delivers to me for others to partake.  I am excited, yet apprehensive at the voyage ahead as this adds another layer of commitment to my already busy life.  It looks as though I will need to cut some things out that fall into the "little less necessary" category.

With that, here is to a good journey, God speed, and many blessings to come!

Blessings, Josh