I love the way our God can speak to us through everyday occurrences, like one day when I was working on spring clean-up in our yard and began trimming the bushes behind our house. While hand trimming these bushes, thoughts about scriptural principles kept going through my head.
At first glance the bushes appeared to be green and growing. After pondering that initial thought, it made me think how people at church, at work, or in a store usually look fine as we casually glance at them. Some of them are trying hard to hide the cares and the pain they carry inside. We ask them, “How are you today?” and they typically answer, “Just fine”, but they could be truly hurting inside and don’t want to share that. First impressions and surface appearances are deceiving. I thought to myself how nice it is to have people who love you enough that you can share your concerns with them. It is awesome to have our God, who loves us unconditionally, to share our concerns with. After all, He already knows our concerns and cares deeply for us.
Next, I noticed that the growing branches were producing flowers. These flowers “connect” the branch with the rest of creation. The sun helps to nourish the branch, the bees gather from the flowers and help pollinate the plants and we are all drawn to the beauty. I also recognized the dead and dying branches were not producing flowers. Branches in the light produce flowers while branches underneath in the darkness do not. It made me think of Jesus’ statement in the Sermon on the Mount: “You will recognize them by their fruit”. People that live in His “light” (or truth) naturally produce fruit. However, people that hide from His “light” cannot produce fruit.
As I looked deeper at the bushes I noticed that some of the new growth that was looking good and producing flowers was actually headed for trouble. Some branches were reaching out and touching the side of the house. This causes maintenance concerns, so they needed to be pruned and cut back. These branches made me think of the Parable of the Sower. The second and third “soils” contained seeds that began growing, but things of this world got in the way and stopped the growth. It made me realize that we need to carefully consider and understand the effect of the path we are on.
Then there were the dead branches that were covered by the “green look” of the outside appearance. It made me think of the sin we conceal under our Christian appearance; the deep struggle that Satan tempts us with again and again. I have come to call these our Achilles Heel. I believe God allows Satan to use these temptations to keep us relying on Him, like Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”. God told Him, “My strength is sufficient for you”. His strength is also sufficient for us.
A wonder to me was the fact that there were dead branches that were still connected to the bush. They were once a living, fruitful part of the bush. They had become useless, not even producing leaves and they were easily broken off the bush. They took away from the beauty and health of the bush. Like the scripture that talks about the dead branches being cut off and thrown into the fire, I broke them off and threw them into our yard waste dumpster. Jesus’ conversation about the vine and the branches came to mind. It amazes me that something or someone can become lifeless while connected to the source of life. Without debating if someone can lose their salvation or not, the thought of becoming lifeless in the Kingdom is both scary and motivating. Please God, keep me aware of the “life-killing” things the world sets in front of me.
I also noticed some branches were starting to die but trying to produce flowers. Their light was being blocked by the dead branches. They needed the bush to be pruned to allow the life-giving light to penetrate to them. Unlike the dead branches, they were not easily broken off from the bush. They wanted to be connected, but struggled in the darkness. It made me think of people on the fringes of Christianity. They want to be connected, but the “darkness” of this world blocks them. As Jesus said in John, only the ones the Father draws can come to Him. Only those that the Father allows can see the light. I pray the “Almighty Gardener” prunes the dead branches around them so they can see the “light” and partake of its life-giving truth.
Only our God can take something as simple as trimming bushes for 30 minutes to speak spiritual lessons to us. Praise His name for loving us so much. May He continue to prune us all so we are useful in His Kingdom.
Christian Life Coach 