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On April 2, the girls and I got home and noticed that the landscapers/gardeners had cut the bushes in front of the house where they like to play. They immediately voiced their disappointment that their “Bridge to Terabithia was gone and DESTROYED!”
How could they ever run around and hide around those bushes ever again when they looked like that? Their sadness was palpable!
Now, over 6 weeks later, to our delight, the bushes have come back stronger and healthier than ever before!
It has made me think of this Biblical passage.
“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. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
John 15:2,6-8
Our purpose is to bear fruit. Fruit that reverberates into eternity. Fruit-bearing is spoken about so many times in the Gospel. In the story of the fig tree that does not bear fruit, in the parable of the talents, and in the above passage.
Things that do not bear fruit through consistent nurturing and growth, through spiritually sound alignment, and through consistent care for others, are withered away and are cut off from that which is bearing fruit so that the entire plant is not destroyed.
Bearing fruit is a spiritual calling and necessity and connects to that which is eternal and larger than ourselves. Bearing fruits helps us put good into the world and connects us to the true Vine.
While the girls were sad their Terabithia was seemingly destroyed, the gardeners knew better. They knew that their temporary sadness would be replaced by something bigger, healthier, more plentiful, and fruitful to play with.
Our vision is only temporary. We are sad and confused when things are pruned.
But maybe those connected to the true Gardner should know that is just the setup for exponential growth.
The Gardener knows what we do not see and know that pruning that which is dead and unhealthy for us spiritually, actually makes us grow.
However, in our limited vision we only see the pruning, not that sometimes things take time to grow.
Things take PRUNING to grow.
Prune the toxic. Prune the limitations. Prune the pride. Prune the selfishness. Prune all that is not spiritually sound.
Instead tend to the gardens of our spirits, our relationships, our mission, our values, that which gives us meaning and purpose, and all that is spiritually sound so that we may bear even fruit.
What we nurture grows. And what we don’t nurture gets pruned and thrown into the fire for if it doesn’t grow it can destroy all that is around it.
Prune what is not spiritually sound.
Bear fruit.
Be resilient.
Growth and Flourish!
🦋🌺🌻💕
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