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Tea Time Tuesday:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”
I live in the mountains, 7200 feet above sea level. Basically, our house sits on a rocky mountain! So it is very challenging to have a garden here. We purchase wildflower mountain seeds and varieties of plants that grow in high altitudes. I learned this the hard way by killing a lot of plants and 3 apple trees. I also had to learn not to get the kind of flowers deer love to munch.
Finally, I purchased a rose bush that was friendly to high altitudes and over the years it grew and spread out. When I returned home from Oxford recently, my favorite old rose bush was worse for wear. Barely had a bloom, dead branches, dried up flowers.
One morning while Lilian was visiting, she and I took some garden scissors and cut back all the dead branches. She loved being my helper.
Now, literally within days, my roses are beginning to bloom, healthy, spreading out.
So often, God prunes my branches of life. He takes away, he cuts my life back—and truly I have learned that I bear more fruit from these times of discipline than I could have understood when I was younger. He has the best for me in mind—that I may bear even more fruit.
Taking it to heart, I got out my planner and knew I needed to do some pruning of the many activities and people who wanted my time. I needed to simplify so that I could bloom anew. To stay vibrant, I needed a simpler life to cut off some dead, unproductive drainers of my life. I can see how much God has used pruning in my life to make me stronger, more content, and more ready to keep giving and producing.
Some fun topics on today’s podcast—one of my favorite summer salads, music to inspire, stories about a favorite author and 3 not to miss books. Happy Tuesday, my friends. What is God pruning in your life?