By David Faust
My wife took the pruning shears to an overgrown houseplant and chopped it down to a stub. I was sure she had killed it, but the remarkably resilient plant now thrives in a corner of our kitchen with stems a yard long, covered with healthy green leaves. Every year, I take my hedge trimmers and whack away the overgrown branches of my lilacs and rose bushes, and each summer they reward my efforts by producing more colorful flowers.
I’m not sure why God designed things this way, but sometimes cutbacks lead to growth spurts.
Jesus illustrated this truth when he said, “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 15:1-2).
Pruned
I don’t enjoy being pruned. The Master Gardener, our heavenly Father, trims branches with surgical precision, but if you’re like me, you don’t like how it feels when the cuts occur.
Your career was on track and things were going well at work. Why did your company lay off employees and eliminate your job?
You took care of your body and tried to stay in shape. Why did God allow you to get cancer?
You enjoy your circle of friends, but as time passes, some of them die or move away, and you miss their companionship.
You liked your church the way it was. Why did the leaders make disruptive changes that hurt feelings and caused several longtime members to leave?
You have done your best to earn a living, spend money wisely, tithe, and give generously to those in need. Why is your budget so tight? Why isn’t God showering you with financial rewards?
Productive
We don’t always understand the pruning process, but it’s wise to trust the Gardener. According to Jesus, the Father prunes branches that are already fruitful to make them more fruitful. If the Lord cuts something out of our lives, his goal is to make us more productive, not less.
Gideon must have been bewildered when God reduced his fighting force from 32,000 to 300 men, but God used that miniature militia to defeat the Midianite army (Judges 7).
The Israelites cowered in fear because of Goliath’s threats, but a sling-wielding young shepherd solved the giant problem a sizeable army couldn’t overcome (1 Samuel 17).
The apostles must have been dismayed when the crowds dwindled because of Jesus’ hard teaching (John 6:60-69), but the Lord used a handful of convinced, devoted followers to change the world.
Thousands of disciples were baptized in Jerusalem, but soon the church was decimated by persecution. The believers scattered to far-flung regions of Judea and Samaria, but the Master Gardener used this painful pruning to fulfill a positive purpose. Those scattered followers of Christ were like seeds a farmer plants in the soil. They bore fruit and “preached the word wherever they went” (Acts 8:4).
It’s strange how life works. No pain, no progress. No tension, no transformation. No cutbacks, no fresh starts. Thank God for the seeds he is planting and the lifeless branches he is pruning from your life. He is not trying to hurt you. He is preparing you to bear more fruit.
Personal Challenge: Think of a time when God pruned you and cut something away from your life. Have you seen any new growth emerge in the process? Read James 1:2-5. Have the unpleasant “cuts” you have endured resulted in greater perseverance, maturity, and wisdom?
Author: David Faust
David Faust serves as the Associate Minister at East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.
