I hated to do it. It was beautiful, and it provided wonderful shade. The problem was that the majority of this limb was lying on my patio roof, which, in a nutshell, was a fire hazard, so it had to go.
My initial reaction was one of sadness. Such a big beautiful limb gone, but then I began to notice some benefits, primarily more light for the plants growing on the lattice.
I need to remind myself about these truths when God is cutting certain things out of my life that I think are so beautiful. They might seem nice to me, but perhaps they are dangerous or obstructive, and I am either oblivious to that or just choose to ignore it.
John 15:1-2 reminds us that God is in the cutting and pruning business, that He cuts out the dangerous or nonproductive and prunes the branches that are producing fruit so that they might produce even more fruit.
“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.”
Though that limb is missing, my tree is thriving. The others branches are growing more skyward and the ground plants are filling out, and do you want to know the bottom line?
That branch was never really necessary for shade or beauty as most of it was lying on my roof. May I remember that when I find God cutting out things around me and in me.
My initial reaction was one of sadness. Such a big beautiful limb gone, but then I began to notice some benefits, primarily more light for the plants growing on the lattice.
I need to remind myself about these truths when God is cutting certain things out of my life that I think are so beautiful. They might seem nice to me, but perhaps they are dangerous or obstructive, and I am either oblivious to that or just choose to ignore it.
John 15:1-2 reminds us that God is in the cutting and pruning business, that He cuts out the dangerous or nonproductive and prunes the branches that are producing fruit so that they might produce even more fruit.
“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.”
Though that limb is missing, my tree is thriving. The others branches are growing more skyward and the ground plants are filling out, and do you want to know the bottom line?
That branch was never really necessary for shade or beauty as most of it was lying on my roof. May I remember that when I find God cutting out things around me and in me.
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