I'm not a gardener. I would like to be able to take credit for the beautiful flowers that come up year after year, but I won't. I didn't plant them. When I bought this house, the previous owner had spent much time, energy, and effort into making the yard a registered nature space.
We do our best to take care of the trees, plants, and flowers... to keep them alive. We have some help from others from time to time. We take care some of it ourselves.
We have needed to call in professionals to trim dead branches off a tree.
And, then, there have been the times when my husband has taken the chainsaw to a tree or bush to only "trim" it... and to my surprise, there has been little left.
Weeds pop up in the cracks of the stonework where they aren't supposed to and they need to be rooted out.
If I'm not a gardener, why all this reflection on the topic?!?!
Spiritually, I'm at a place where pruning needs to take place. I'm aware of that. I have recently taken on some new responsibilities that felt right in regards to where I am and where God is leading me. Yet, in order to live into that, something needs to go. As I was talking with someone over Skype Thursday afternoon about the new responsibility and getting some insight and last minute words of wisdom, etc., we talked about pruning. Then, later that evening I realized I had been pruned. Something in my life that I was doing as a means of communication had been pruned for me. This was something that I had been doing for a couple of years now. And, even though I was no longer in an official capacity, I was still part of the communication online. The odd thing and difficult thing for me at first was that no one told me about it in advance. One day I was able to be a communicator and then, poof, I wasn't. Though I don't understand and realize I don't really need to, I have seen this non-sought-out-pruning as a gift. One less thing in my life that I will feel responsible to be a connecting point for others. That releases my time and energy to flow as God sees fit. Admittedly, this unexpected pruning caused me to wrestle with my self, as my false self sprouted up fairly quickly. Imagine that. I just finish a book on learning more about my true self and that ugly ole false self finds a way to quickly re-enter the scene. But, that's life. That's part of the journey.
Just like those trees and bushes didn't expect to be hacked by the chain saw, unexpected pruning on us humans happens.
Pruning, whether it is pinching off the buds or cutting off limbs, is painful. It takes time to process the healing. Yet, the energy and life of the plant flows more effectively into the areas that are life-producing once the pruning has taken place.
Even though the pruning process has begun for me rather abruptly and not as I intended, it has begun. Whether I initiate the pruning or not, may God be the Gardener in charge of whatever pruning God deems best in my life at this time so that time, energy, and life itself can flow where God knows it needs to.
What about you? Have you experienced any pruning lately? If not, is it time?
Blessings on your journey,
debra
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