I forgot to prune my crape myrtles this fall. Do you know what that means? That means this year I will have some blooms, but not as many as I could've had I pruned my trees. Sometimes our lives need a little pruning before we can really bloom or produce fruit like we are capable of producing for God.
Aaron has been cutting down weak, unhealthy trees around our property for months and turning them into firewood. He's been taking something essentially worthless and making it useful while making our home more beautiful. I believe that's what God wants to do with certain areas of life.
When we have too much going on (like our property has too many small trees), none of our projects can really thrive (just like none of our trees could really grow because too many little ones were sucking up all the nutrients). Sometimes we need to step back, look at our lives, and decide what needs to be cut back and what should be left to grow. John 15:2 (NIV) says, "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.
What parts of your life are just sucking up valuable nutrients and are holding you back from blooming like God wants you to bloom this year? I'm taking a careful look at my life as I start this new year, and I challenge you to do the same. As you go through the rest of this week, think about each activity. Ask God what activities need to be pruned and which ones just need to be cut out of your life so you can thrive for Him.
Pruning Your Life: Part II will be posted tomorrow.
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