Why Pruning Is Necessary

 

By: Sarah Geringer 

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 15:2 NIV

I love buying flowers in the winter. They cheer me with their beauty on cold, grey days. Some of the bouquets I buy have a few lovely roses tucked in.

As an adolescent, I was responsible for maintaining my mom's rose bushes. I'm now an experienced gardener, and I can say with authority that there are no other plants that require more maintenance. They need to be sprayed regularly with fungicides and pesticides, watered at just the right intervals, fertilized with the best materials, and exposed to the exact amount of sunlight for maximum growth.

Roses also must be pruned to bloom in their full glory. I now have a wild rose bush that produces myriad blooms on its unpruned boughs. But the simple shape of a wild rose flower cannot compare to the full, gorgeous, multi-petaled tea roses we all know and love. The reason the cultured roses are so much prettier is because their rose bushes are meticulously pruned to produce only a few choice flowers at a time.

This week I've been reading Dr. Henry Cloud's book, Necessary Endings. He has a whole chapter devoted to this metaphor of pruning. It reminded me of my days of caring for roses, and rang true with some recent changes in my life.

Dr. Cloud says that superfluous, sick or dead parts of a rose bush need to be pruned for the best possible results. Likewise, the less-than-best, sick or dead parts of our lives need to be pruned out for our greatest personal growth. This is exactly what Jesus instructed us in his famous teaching recorded in John 15. He prunes off these parts of our lives for the greatest possible growth.

Pruning is not fun. It hurts! But it is truly for our good. Pruning is necessary, not optional, for the best life God has in mind for us. In fact, in another excellent book, Gary Thomas argues that even Jesus delivered his very best teachings after Judas left the group. Those gems of Jesus' teachings and prayers are recorded in John 14 - 17, right after Judas departs in John 13. When Judas was pruned from the group of disciples, Jesus' greatest teachings could flow like never before.

If Jesus submitted to being pruned by his Father to produce the greatest possible results - salvation for all the world - surely the pruning we receive from God is priceless in value. Jesus was so kind, loving and generous to be cut down in death for us. He had no sin in him, though we all have something less-than-best, sick, or dead that needs to be cut from us. If we submit to this pruning, we can glorify him in even greater ways than we do right now - perhaps in the greatest ways so far in our lives.

Consider these truths as you look at the roses in grocery store bouquets, in a bouquet you purchase for yourself, or one you may receive for Valentine's Day. Think about the hard work that went into cultivating them so they could become so beautiful. Ask God to show you what needs to be pruned in your life, submit to his cutting, and trust that his beautiful glory will shine through you in new ways, after the pruning is complete.

Looking for more encouragement? Check out all the posts I've written for Woman 2 Woman Ministries HERE.

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Have a blessed weekend!

Sarah Geringer
Finding Peace in God's Word

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