Monday, April 3, 2017

Seasons of Suffering




“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in Me that does not bear
fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He
prunes it, that it may bear more
fruit.” John 15: 1-2
Earlier this week I did some work in my flower garden. I had a new pair of pruning shears, and I was ready to do some necessary trimming. In spite of an unusually mild winter, we had one night where the temperature dipped below freezing, and the leaves of my Oleander froze back. They needed to be trimmed back to make way for new growth.
And so I went to work. Being a girl with a very vivid imagination (something I never seem to have outgrown) I pictured Miss Oleander cringing when she saw me coming with those sharp, new shears. “Oh no. Here she comes again. She’s going to cut away with abandon, and it hurts. Why can’t she just leave me alone? I'm doing just fine without all that unnecessary pain.”
However, being just a bit wiser than my sweet little plant, I knew something she did not. The painful cutting she dreaded was exactly what she needed to grow stronger and more productive.
To learn the "fate" of Miss Oleander, please click over to Laced With Grace. I'll meet you there. Thanks so much.

Blessings,
Linda