Pruning

God prunes us that we many grow more.

1 [a]“I am the true vine,[b] and my Father is the vine grower. 2 He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes[c] so that it bears more fruit. 3 You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. 4 Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. 6 [d]Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.-John15:1-8

As I reflected, I asked myself if God truly takes or cuts away a branch - that is, reject us. If it is so, that will be contrary to His image as a Father and a Good Shepherd. I do believe that God never rejects, rather He prunes and prunes and prunes. Nobody is too slow to be overlooked. Nobody bears too little to be rejected. Nobody just suddenly stops bearing fruit or stops doing good. Remember, we are born good right from the start. God prunes us so that virtues will come out, or the good in us will come out. However, since pruning means cutting, sometimes we are pained along the way. Today, Jesus is encouraging us to not be afraid because He means well if He prunes us. When He prunes us, it is expected that we will bear much much fruit - and these fruits will make our lives more fulfilling, beautiful and enriching.

Image courtesy: artist