Beauty in Pruning

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“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
                                       ​                              Isaiah 43:19a ​

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Quarantine has brought out the gardener in me.  I know, it shocked me as well!  For years, my thumb has been brown.  If it resembled a plant or flower, you better believe that I could kill that thing in no time.  However, this season of life has caused me to slow down, to be intentional, which is a really good thing for my flower garden.
 
In the cool of the morning, I slip out into the backyard to check on the flowers.  The weather overnight and the morning’s sun will determine the physical appearance of the flowers.  If there was a heavy storm, the plants will reflect this.  The petals are normally hanging off the stem or found nearby on the ground after the rain has come through.  If the sun is too hot, the flowers will be wilted and brown.  At first, this really discouraged me.  Having ugly flowers was really depressing.  I bought the flowers to bring about some brightness and color to my life.  
 
Determined to grow out of my brown-thumb stage, I did some research.  Turns out, flowers falling off the plants or withering is a normal occurrence.  I learned that each day, I must go out and “dead head” my flowers.  This simply means, I look carefully at each flower and assess its health.  If it is withered or brown, I simply “pop-off” (deadhead) the flower.  Getting rid of the old flowers makes way for the new flowers to blossom.  Within days, new flowers were peeking through, refreshed, and full of color.  I also learned that the practice of deadheading allows the plant to bloom longer than if the unhealthy flowers are left on the plant. 
 
It is in these quiet moments of tending to my flower garden that Jesus speaks truth to my heart.  “Sarah, I do the same thing to you each day.  I look at what is withering or dying in your life, and I prune it away.  It hurts a little, but the outcome is so beautiful.  When you allow me to come in and replace the old with new, you blossom in a way you never could have on your own.  I give you life. I give you color.  I renew your heart and your mind.”
 
You see, Jesus is not content with us staying the way we are.  John 15:1-2 says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off 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.”  Did you catch that last part?  God prunes us so that we can be even more fruitful.  He wants to fill us to the point of overflowing with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  These are the attributes that bring about the most beauty in our lives.  We are most like Jesus when we are displaying these fruits, living them out fully in our lives.  Our hearts beat with His, we bring Him glory, we reflect His beauty. 
 
Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”  Forget the withered, dying flowers of your past.  Allow Jesus to come in and do a new thing in you.  Allow Him to spring up new life in you.  Allow Jesus to bring streams of living water to your heart, mind, body, and soul.

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