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by Ami Samuels

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts away 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

I enjoy having flowers outside. I have planters of geraniums and ferns on my porch. For years my plants would do well at first, and then they would become overgrown and not look very pretty. I asked my mom what I was doing wrong and she told me that I needed to prune them back. At first I had a hard time pruning them back; it felt counter-productive to me. But once I started pruning them back I noticed new blooms popping up. Pruning is necessary, because if you don’t cut the stem back the plant still sends nutrients to a dead or expiring bloom and it isn’t sending nutrients to new flower or buds.

That was how I felt about moving from my hometown to a new city. It was my first move and I missed my family and friends. It felt like a pruning process. I remember hearing an amputee explaining that when they lose a limb that, “It still hurts and feels like it is there, but it is gone.”

To a much lesser degree, emotionally I felt this way about moving away from my family and friends. These people were once part of my daily life, and now they were far away and I missed them being such a big part of my life.

Looking back, as hard as that season was for me, God grew me in so many ways as a Christian. My walk with Him became so much closer. He has provided ministry opportunities for me that I would never have stepped into without this season of pruning and growth.

If we don’t allow God to fully prune our lives, we can spend time pouring our thoughts and energy into something that is dying or expired, in turn missing what God has in store for our lives. Without pruning we miss new growth.

Where is God taking the pruning shears to your life? Is it a group of friends, an activity, or a physical move? The next time you feel like something is being taken away or you have loss, pray and ask God to show you if He is pruning you for new growth.

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