I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:1-2 (KJV)
Yesterday I was cutting back the rose hips on my beautiful rose bushes. The remaining roses filled the air with the most magnificent scent. I knew that if I wanted more roses to fill the bush that I needed to cut away the rose hips so that the bush could concentrate on producing new buds. Failing to prune away the rose hips would stunt the bush. The bush works hard to keep the roses full and fragrant. When the petals fall away, it still is working hard to keep the dying rose hips healthy and doesn’t focus on bringing out new buds.
How often do we continue to focus on the dying parts of our lives? We have dying relationships or old hurts and wounds that we allow to stay in our life, not purging them away or working past them. As they continue to fill our mind and take up our time, they keep us from pursuing new relationships and dreaming new dreams.
We allow things to rise and fall in our memories that pull us into depression or anger and detract us from finding the true joy that God has planned for us. Forgiveness is only the beginning of the process, once we forgive we must let the memories and emotions go, we must prune them away.
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. Colossians 3:12-14 (KJV)
God never intended for us to be caught up in the “old us” and not renew ourselves to walk in His perfect love and joy. God knew that we would face trials and tribulations and even made note that those would help build us and make us even stronger, but we had to let them go. Not easy, but the rewards are wonderful.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:2-4 (KJV)
Lord, let me stand before You, open to Your full pruning. Cut away the old me, the pain, the hurts, the cutting words and the broken promises that has left me unable to receive all that You have for me. Help me to flower forth with a sweet fragrance for others to enjoy. Let that fragrance encourage others to want to be pruned and molded by Your mighty hands. Amen.
Linda J. Humes 