“I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more.” John 15:1 MSG
As I was meditating on this chapter, and after reading Teresa’s post, I realized something. The pain of pruning affects the plant as much as the branches that are cut away. In essence, we wound the original plant in order to encourage new growth, or in some cases to create new plants from the cuttings. And while the new cutting is transplanted and regrown, the plant itself is left to heal.
It’s remarkable really when you think about nature’s ability to heal itself; even our bodies have the incredible power to recover. We as the Body of Christ, have the same power and resiliency to allow God to heal us! Although in tough times that may be hard to believe.
We all know recovery can be a slow and painful process. But as we keep our eyes fixed on God and the future He’s promised each of us–and keep a positive attitude–I believe we can grow into a stronger and healthier plant than we were to begin with. At least that’s what I’m hoping for…
2 responses so far ↓
teresap // June 11, 2008 at 2:08 am |
this really spoke to me. i never think of pruning as something that the rest of the plant has to heal from. but it makes so much sense. there’s so much in the bible about processes that are painful but God needs to happen for us to grow.
Take it up « 1or2thoughts // June 20, 2008 at 8:42 pm |
[...] Take it up Posted on June 20, 2008 by mbrage There seems to be a common theme between Whitney and Ellissa. This is interesting in light of the many changes I see others dealing with, and change of course is challenging and stressful. [...]