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Friday, August 2, 2019

pruning

Opening Prayer: Have your way with me, O God.  Take your strong and gentle hands and make me into a garden of your delight.  Grow me where I need to be grown, water me where I need to be watered, and prune me where I need to be pruned.  I belong to you.  Amen.

Scripture: John 15:1-2

Journal: What does God’s pruning look like in your life these days?  How is he cutting away the old in order to make good room for new life and growth?

Reflection: 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.” (John 15:1-2, NIV)  
     Contrary to popular opinion, pruning is not a bad thing…in the spiritual life, I mean.  Oh sure, it sounds painful and awful, and I cringe whenever I hear the word, but it is actually a beautiful and necessary thing.  It is not just about getting rid of that which is old and dead and ugly within us—which sounds so hard and shameful—but it is also about taking that which is already fruitful and making space for even more fruit to grow.  It is about letting go of the old (even in the cases where the old has been wonderful), in order to embrace the new.
     The problem is that we like the old.  We have grown used to it.  We are comfortable with it.  And let’s face it, we suck at letting go.  When we have something that is working for us, we hold onto it for dear life, no matter how functional or dysfunctional it may be.  We like the old and the familiar.  We like being in control.  Letting go flies directly in the face of all of that.  So we hold on.  That’s why this pruning is necessary.  We typically will not be able to let go on our own, God has to help the process along. 
     The word for prune in the Greek is kathairō, which also means to cleanse or to purge.  It is a necessary part of growth, both for a plant, as well as a heart and soul.  A thing can only grow if there is room for it.  Thus, space must be made.  The saints of old understood this.  They often referred to this pattern of spiritual growth using the words purgation, illumination, and union.  Thus, the soul must first be purged of the many things occupying it, in order for something new and beautiful to come about.  The old might have indeed been great for a time, or a season, but once a new season begins the old must give way.  The leaves of autumn must fall to the ground before the new leaves of spring can come.  And so it is with a soul.  
     The beautiful part of the image is that we are not solely responsible for this pruning, it is in the hands of the Gardener.  He knows just how to do it.  And thankfully he has very gentle hands.  All we need to do is to be open, receptive, and responsive to his divine touch.

Prayer

Closing Prayer: I am yours, O God, do with me as you please.  Help me to be open and receptive to your strong and loving hands.  Amen.

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