Prune Your Garden... Prune Your Life

I bought this little house plant just before our world was overtaken by COVID19.  It was small and it cost about five dollars.  Not a real splurge of a purchase, but it was not anything I needed.  I bought it just for me to satisfy my desire to be surrounded by beautiful growing things.  I brought it home and plunked the whole thing right inside a container that was a gift from a dear friend, once filled with a beautiful arrangement.  Looking at it while cooking dinner, unloading the dishwasher, or any other mundane house task brought me joy.  And then I noticed something.  Some of the leaves were turning dark.  As I inspected further, there were several leaves of my tiny little plant that were unhealthy.  I may not be Martha Stewart, but I am the granddaughter of Martha Jane, and we know how to love plants.  What had I done wrong?  I knew I needed to snip those leaves off.  And quick.  But, can I just be honest?  I didn't want to.  My little plant wasn't really that big, certainly not full.  Snipping away even those five or six little leaves was most certainly going to make this little darling look pitiful.  It took me a couple of days to get out the scissors.  I just didn't want to have to see my little plant bare, even though my plant loving heart knew without those unhealthy leaves sucking life and nutrients away, it would flourish.  Though it pained me to do so, I snipped and snipped, until I could see only healthy, green leaves.  I gathered the clippings and on the way to the trash, I found myself wondering how I could re-purpose them in some way.  I just didn't want to throw them out. Unhealthy?  Yes.  If used in another way, the fungus or ruining of these few clippings could possible destroy something else further.  I had to put them in the trash can.  This really shouldn't be so hard.  Finally, I dropped them in the garbage and waited patiently for my little baby to grow.

Flash forward a couple of weeks.  Our world looks different.  Businesses are closing their doors to contain a virus that has changed everything about how we live. I am watching the news as I unload the dishwasher and I look over to my growing plant...

I heard a message that unraveled quickly and slowly at the same time.  It will take more than a sentence or two to set the scene, so bear with me:

From June until February I worked part-time to supplement my income in a spa as a front desk gal.  In those eight months I grew to love my time there - greeting guests and making them feel adored, seen and heard.  Though the job was not perfect, having the opportunity to love on people made it worth all of the shortcomings.  It even taught me many lessons, including how quickly both positive and negative perspectives can grow, which I am thankful to have learned.  Then came a situation so upsetting I could not deny the negative impacts this job carried over into my home life.  For a week I had discussions with management about how things could improve, I studied my finances to find how I could manage without the additional funds, and I prayed.  A lot.  I finally came to a place of realization that this was no longer the place for me, though it hurt to leave.  I would miss the therapists I grew to admire.  I would miss greeting our clients with a smile and love.  And, I would miss the owners, too, as they had grown to be a part of my life.

And now, back to the message I heard.  Had it not been for that uncomfortable situation that forced me to take a hard look at whether this placed served me well and if it were truly necessary to my financial well being to stay, I would have lost this second job without warning during the closures of the pandemic.  I would not have been prepared or prayed up.  Losing this job would have been a crushing blow to our livelihood.  And even though it took me a while to 'get out the scissors,' I finally did it.  And in the absence of my second job, my family flourished again.  I am thankful for the situation in which I was forced to prune what was no longer serving me from my life.

I pray for wisdom and courage for you and for me to prune what not longer serves us.  And I pray for opportunities for you to share with others the pruning in your life to encourage and empower us to all to do the same.

He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.               John 15:2

God's Bratty Little Teenager

Do you have a teenager?  Are you a parent, aunt or uncle, neighbor, grandparent, educator, etc.  We all know teenagers.  They are (at times) ungrateful, annoying, disobedient, and, OH are they opinionated and independent.  Of course their way will work BETTER than mine.  Insert:  eye roll. 

Now, if you know me, you know I love and adore my boys.  They are my life's work, and I pour into them to the point of exhaustion.  But, to me - it's worth it.  I am hopeful the wisdom I share helps each of them avoid pitfalls and wrong turns.  I am hopeful they do not feel the need to make ALL the mistakes to learn the lessons as I did.  Side note:  as a teenager, I frequently told my parents to 'let me make my own mistakes'... I was an idiot.  I think of how much they have grown and all of the great things they will accomplish during their lives.  I think often of the impact they have on the others around them.  And they make me so proud.  I share this with you to explain that I do, in fact, love my children.  Yes, I get frustrated when they prefer not to time to spend with me, when they disagree with the rules of our home and when the rules are completely disregarded, when they complain about how bad their life is, when they are not grateful for what I provide for them.  But, how my heart shines when my sons receive a compliment from an adult who notices the way in which each of them are different from the others, when my sweet young men offer comfort and tissues to a teary eyed mama, and when we have heart to heart conversations and they admit they can see why I ask what I do of them.  In these moments, among others, I breathe a sigh of peace and joy.  It is well.  And, it is worth it.

Let's go back to the unflattering picture of a teenager.  That is me.  I am too busy to stop what I am doing to spend time with Him.  I complain about my life and how much more I have in mind for me.  I am not always obedient to what he asks of me.  I don't always understand WHY he asks certain things of me.  Ouch.  I am God's bratty little teenager.  My spirit is crushed.  I am embarrassed and filled with shame.  How can He love me?  I am such a jerk.  Yet, he is so patient with me.  He offers such grace and mercy.   

God uses my children to teach me about myself.  He knows how to get my attention.  Am I as good of a parent to my children as He is to me?  No.  Am I as patient?  No.  As full of mercy?  No.  I say things like how many times do I need to tell you NOT to wear your shoes inside the house and I just cleaned the floor (again) and now you have made the floor dirty (again).  Clearly, I am not the perfect parent as He is.  And yet, when my children make me angry, really angry, do I love them?  Yes - without question.  Do I forgive them?  Eventually... I am not Jesus.  Will I continue to love, support, guide, discipline, and grow my children?  Yes.  And why?  Because I love them.  And how much more does God love me, you, us, etc.  Though I am the ULTIMATE bratty teenager.  He loves me still.  He comforts me still.  He forgives me still.  And I am thankful.

Father, I am humbled by your love for me.  I am thankful that you continue to pour into me.  I am overwhelmed by your gentleness and grace in how you handle me.  Please give me the wisdom, guidance, peace and patience to parent more like you and less like me.