Beauty In The Bloom

“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener…I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:1, 5

When I think back on 2010 I will always think of that year as the year I received God’s severe pruning in my spiritual life. There is nothing like a season of crisis to reveal if what you claim you believe is in reality what you believe. It is seasons like this that prove what happens when the rubber meets the road. They are not seasons of punishment but rather seasons of ‘cutting back’ the dead growth for future beauty to have room to flourish and bear fruit.

When my father-in-law came to live with us my responsibilities became so extreme and all consuming I knew within a week or two I was totally unequipped for this season. When I tried to handle things apart from my Father I fell flat on my face in both success and confidence. It was a year when I lost all self-confidence in being a Christian as I struggled with unlovely thoughts and exhausting self analysis. The Christian image for which I believed I displayed was shattered as the Gardener revealed some growth that was far from beautiful. Through this past year He lovingly cut back some areas of motivation and pride that required the severe pruning. Thankfully He doesn’t leave us pruned back without protection from the elements, and a plan of future growth and beauty.

‘Pruning narrows our focus and strengthens the quality of our fruit. It trains and maintains us by breaking our rebellion, insecurity, and ever-so-independent spirits. But cutting us back God shapes us into the image of Christ. It keeps us alive and growing in the fellowship of His Spirit. Pruning weans us from distractions, time wasters, addictions, and selfish habits. It separates us from dead works that God never called us to do. In pruning, the enslaving need for constant affirmation of our flesh is finally hacked.’ Duty or Delight, p. 90. (OUCH!)

It is only when we lay down our dependence upon ourselves and rest in the dependence of God that we allow Him to develop our growth and display beauty in the bloom.