When we bought our house in 2020, it was truly our dream house. We had moved to an area that didn’t have many trees (rice fields anyone?), so to find a house surrounded by trees was wonderful. This house had huge front and back porches perfect for swings and tall glasses of sweet tea.
When we moved in, I noticed a huge bush on one side of the house, but I had no idea what it was. All I knew was that it was huge, tall, and green. One day, I walked out and gasped. Beautiful purple flowers were budding all over the bush. It was stunning. Over the next few days more and more purple flowers bloomed, almost covering the bush entirely. I started noticing a ton of fluttering butterflies flocking to this bush.
Then hummingbirds started hovering around this bush. Who knew we even had hummingbirds around here? This bush was right outside of our bay window where we gathered for meals, so we had the perfect view of this beautiful bush and all the activity that surrounded it.
I’ll never forget one recent winter when we had an especially hard freeze. I usually cover my plants or take them inside, but this time I didn’t. A few days later, I walked outside and noticed the beautiful bush was just tall bare twigs. I was pretty sure the bush had not survived the freeze and would never bloom again. I was devastated. How could I have let this beautiful bush freeze to death? Every time I walked past the now tall, no-leaves-nothing-but-sticks bush, I was just so sad.
Right before spring, I made the gut-wrenching decision to cut that bush down to the ground and start over. I just couldn’t bear to see it like that any longer. So, I cut it way back and left it like that until I could find time to dig it up and replace it with another plant.
Days went by. Weeks went by, and I still had not dug it up. Then one day as I was pulling out of the garage, looking in the rearview mirror, I saw it—a tiny bud of green leaves, growing from the little stump of what I had cut down. LIFE! I couldn’t believe it.
Over the next few weeks my dead bush grew and grew and GREW. It was fuller and bigger than the year before. The leaves all came back, and then, yes, eventually the purple flowers and the butterflies and the hummingbirds all returned too.
In that moment of seeing new life, I was reminded of some very familiar verses in John 15: “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit” (John 15:1-2).
Our Father in Heaven is the ultimate gardener. He prunes us so that we will bear more fruit. There are branches in our lives that He removes. At times we may be heartbroken to have these branches cut back, but we must remember that it is ultimately for our good so that we will bear more fruit for Him.
I know in my life He has pruned away friendships that He knew weren’t healthy. He has pruned away negative attitudes and insecurities (well, let me say He is STILL pruning areas in my life). What is it in your life that you need to let the Gardener prune? A bad habit, a bad attitude, or even a secret sin? What is something “dead” that needs to be brought back to life? Maybe it’s your prayer life, your church attendance, your desire to read His Word, or something else?
Today, will you let Him prune your life and allow the beautiful buds (aka fruit) to bloom again? My prayer for you and for me is that we would be willing to be cut back so that we can bear even more fruit for Him.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You, the ultimate Gardener, to ask that You will show us areas in our lives that we need to let You prune. Allow us to be open and willing to let You cut back branches in our lives that are keeping us from producing the fruit that You want from us. We trust that You know what is best for our lives. We love You so much!
In Jesus’ Name, Amen
-Rhonda Hinote
