Light My Path Ministries

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. -John 15:2

I read somewhere that the best fertilizer is the shadow of the gardener so I took that as a challenge to make this the summer that my garden would survive the heat and drought. I know that hoeing, watering and feeding are essential gardening tasks, but pruning is a task I had never practiced because I never understood the benefits of it. When a plant appears to be vibrantly flourishing how can snipping back that healthy growth strengthen and maximize its ability to endure the stress of a long hot summer and equip it to continue contributing to the beauty of the garden? After deciding to put pruning to the test, I glanced around my garden and found the overachievers who were encroaching on the territory of the less ambitious. Not only did pruning help those plants become more compact, less intrusive and more drought tolerant but it also helped me find weeds hiding underneath that healthy growth, weeds that I wouldn’t be able to see until they endangered the plant sheltering them. It was the discovery of the hiding weeds that made me think more about the importance of pruning. Are there “weeds” hiding under what appears to be healthy growth in my spiritual life? Do I need to inspect the areas of my life that I think are spiritually healthy and will I discover that there are underlying threats camouflaged by superficial healthiness? If I objectively examine the activities that I believe bring glory to God and His kingdom, will I find that I am harboring behaviors that will eventually rob HIM of glory, honor and praise? Could trimming back seemingly healthy growth lead to greater strength, healthiness and beauty not only for my garden, but for my spiritual life too?