Pruning

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We had the most incredible prophet speak at church on Sunday and I wanted to share a story he told as it so relates to all of us.

He went away on holiday and their gardener had been busy pruning the roses in their absence.
Upon his return he drove up the driveway to the sight of his beloved roses now reduced to a stick and couple of prongs on the top.

He went in search of the gardener to commence strangling him, much to the gardener’s amusement.

The gardener explained that he would have to wait and see the fruit of his pruning in the next season.

Well of course the next season produced an incredible crop of roses on what he thought were “ruined” plants.

However the interesting part of the story is that the gardener had missed a couple of rose bushes out the back. They were completely untouched from the last year.

When he went to look at them he realised how essential pruning was.
These plants had far fewer blooms. These plants had so much foliage and wispy branches that all their energy was being exerted on keeping the plant going, there was inadequate energy for it to bear much fruit.

And all the wispy branches were becoming enmeshed and entangled.

In that moment God spoke to him and said “you know these plants don’t have to “do” anything to get entangled and sapped of energy, they just have to avoid pruning.”

I spent a lot of my life avoiding pruning. In fact more often than I want to admit I still do.
Change and growth in our lives always requires something to be let go of or something to embrace, and it is nearly never fun.

But the analogy with the roses is so perfect. If we don’t allow ourselves to be pruned we will become more entangled in things that are energy sapping and without fruit or results.

Meaningless work and activity always fills any space provided for it. The only way to not let it consume our lives is to “cut it out” of our lives. And as we do we suddenly find we can get more done, achieve better results and have more energy.

BUT, (there’s always a but), we have to go through the pain of pruning to ever get there. We all want the gain without pain don’t we??

Well welcome to your future choices.
You can have an “easy life” full of weeds and lacking in achievement OR
Welcome the secateurs when they come knowing that what you are discarding will enable you to become the fruitful beauty you were designed to be!!

Stay Safe Dean Letfus @ www.massiveaction.co.nz (AKA Dean Leftus @ www.massiveaction.co.nz)

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