Pruning

A whole road of trees near me have just had a very radical prune. They look a bit sorry for themselves now, kind of a cross between hair-standing-on-end startled, and too-many-legged spider! I know it's handy to keep their growth under control, but they do look weird.

I'm very inconsistent with my pruning approach. The plants I'm not bothered about killing I prune radically, and unsurprisingly they flourish, but I'm too scared to radically prune the plants I love in case I kill them, so they grow a bit haphazardly! You'd've thought I would've learnt the lesson of that by now...

In John 15.2 Jesus likens God the Father to the one who prunes the branches who bear fruit so that they will produce more fruit. He knows how to handle the plants so they can do what they're made to do even better. The next few months are going to hold big changes for me, some of the familiar routines and places will be gone, but it's comforting to know I'm in the hands of God, and He knows how to prepare me well.