The Gardener

I can’t believe it’s already March! Easter is just around the corner, and then after that, warmer weather will soon follow, and you know what that means! Now is the time for pruning! You may not realize this, but the bible teaches us a lot about gardening, and especially the importance of pruning. Unfortunately, we don’t have a vineyard at our home, but we do have several bushes and plants that require annual pruning in order to retain their splendor later in the year when it comes time to bloom and grow.

     We have four bird of paradise plants in our front yard that I cut completely back every February, while it’s still chilly outside, and just before the weather starts to warm. I didn’t do this at first though, not until we had the plants for a few seasons. The first few years after we planted them, we didn’t prune them, and they just got over grown and ugly. As time went on, the next season they didn’t produce as much growth and those beautiful red and yellow blooms never came in the spring and summer. Well, after a year or two of leaving them alone, I decided to take a gardeners advice and prune them down to nothing in the late winter. Low and behold, as soon as the weather warmed, they took off and grew and produced the most beautiful flowers in the coming spring and summer. So every year, I prune them, I cut them down to nothing and it works every time!

     Jesus often used metaphors in his parables and lessons, and many of those revolved around plants. I know they say he was a carpenter by trade, but I really think he was also adept at gardening as well! Take a look at this verse from the John 15;

    

     “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 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.

    

     To God, our lives are just like the vines in the vineyard. There are parts of our lives that occasionally need to be cut off or pruned away, in order to allow us to produce or bear fruit and grow more productive. Are there any parts of your life that need to be pruned? Perhaps it could be a bad habit you might have or a negative attitude, or maybe it could be the quality of your worship time with God. Whatever the case may be, open your heart to God and let him help you decide what it is that needs to be pruned in your life, and you might find to your surprise that just like the flowers or vines, your life will regain its splendor and bear fruit as an even greater blessing because of it.

Happy Easter!

Dave