The Vinedresser
“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 15:2-3 csb
I was recently pruning my Spanish lavender bushes in the front yard. As I cut back the branches, I started thinking about how healthy this process is for the plant. It had grown too large, spilling over into other flowers in the garden bed, so I was able to reshape it. I’m sure the lavender didn’t enjoy the shears as they sliced through, but it was for its own good to prevent overgrowth, reduce disease, and encourage more blooms. And the more it blooms, the more it attracts pollinators and provides food for the praying mantises that call it home.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that our Father in heaven is the gardener, the One who tends the vineyard. When He sees dead or diseased branches, He removes them. And when He finds a branch that is producing fruit, He prunes it. That may sound counterintuitive, but any vinedresser, orchard worker, or experienced gardener will tell you that pruning a fruitful branch actually leads to greater growth and more abundant fruit.
Pruning doesn’t always feel good or even seem right, but the Lord knows what is healthy and what is not. Things I think are good can, over time, become harmful. There are even things I may allow to grow in my life that lead to sin and spiritual decay. So the Lord, in His wisdom, may remove certain activities, relationships, or even a career for the sake of my spiritual health. I may not enjoy the process, but the result is strength and longevity in my walk with Him. Perhaps you’ve recently experienced pruning in your spiritual life. Take heart because the Gardener, your Heavenly Father, removes what would ultimately bring harm. Like the lavender, it is for our good, so that we may continue to bear healthy, lasting fruit.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.” — Galatians 5:22–23 (CSB)
Agape,
Frank
