Pruning

This is a coffee tree. Sorry it's blurry! We've been reading the Gospel of John in our Tuesday night Bible Study, and last week was a memorable week on chapter 15. Really hit me hard.

"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."

I started thinking about all my many branches and what fruits they are bearing. Some are good, and others, not so much! And still others, maybe are not bearing any fruits at all! And why is that so? It made me think about all aspects of my life and the fruit I am bearing or not bearing. I thought about church, teaching, my social life, friends, family, volunteer work, everything. It was really good to have some time to reflect, to see where my priorities are, and if they match up with His priorities for me.

How can we be sure we are bearing amazing, luscious, plump fruits? (I'm picturing the big mangoes in my yard and yummy passion fruit!) It's simple. We are to remain close to Him, the one who created us.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." We can do NOTHING...not ONE GOOD THING apart from him. That hit me hard. It's not that we will just have tiny fruit...maybe just not the best harvest without him. No! WE can bear NO FRUIT AT ALL! Nothing without Him!

Well, then, how can we remain in Him? Honestly, sometimes I feel so close to Him, and at other times, I feel farther away, and trying to creep back slowly. But I know and trust that He is still there with me even when I am staggering along, and He is pruning away at my branches. I say to Him, keep pruning! Prune away as if I'm a Bonzai tree! :-) And by the way, I think the answer to my question about how to remain in Him can be found later on in verse 12...."My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

Paul is a friend from Northern Ireland, and he hosts us every Tuesday night. He works in the coffee sector, for Technoserve, and last week at Bible Study, he taught us how to prune a coffee tree. :-) So I learned that there's two ways to prune a coffee tree. One is you have to cut the tiny little branches that grow all over the place that get in the way when there's too many of them. (just like in our life when we get too busy and have way too many distractions that clutter our life and take us away from what is really important!)

And the second way to prune the coffee tree is when there's a really BIG, healthy branch that grows out, and it looks VERY fruitful and the farmers all look at it and all they see is money, money, money!...But what they don't realize is that because it's so big, not enough LIGHT is getting into the inside of the coffee tree. Even though the branch itself is super healthy! So therefore, the coffee tree is really not doing so well afterall....and because not enough light can enter in, then the darkness is a great breeding ground for the bugs to enter in and eat the tree. (darkness=sin, Satan, garbage, whatever.) So that's why you have to prune the big, healthy branches, so that in the future, the coffee tree can end up doing well and bearing much fruit (coffee.)

It really spoke to me that even the big, healthy branches can end up harming the tree later on, if not properly pruned. The branch will just engulf the tree, and kind of take it over, and no light will ever enter in. In thinking about this chapter, I thought about the "pruning" that has taken place in my life and the reasons why. Pruning sure does hurt at the time, and you get mad, but then later on, you realize what it was all about! Or maybe you haven't realized yet....but you still know and have faith in the One who's doing the pruning, and you know His pruning is preparing you to bear much luscious fruit down the road!

So I say, bring on the shears and prune away! Even cut some of the bigger branches, Lord, if you need too, so the LIGHT can enter in!