“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 in me He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2 NIV

OUCH!

I’ve been crying a lot. On Sunday, we pulled up to church, and I cried from the moment I exited the vehicle to the moment I got back into it. I couldn’t hide it; people saw; it was raw and awkward but I just couldn’t help it. I had to cry, and I could not stop crying.

I feel that I have been waiting through trials, and the waiting feels longer and harder than I ever expected. I feel like I cannot stand up. And so, instead of standing, my insides will just lay down for a while, right here at Jesus’ feet, and on the outside, I will keep doing the work He has for me to do each day. If I have to weep, then I will just have to weep my way through it.

We don’t always understand why we hurt. But the Bible says that if you are doing the right thing and producing fruit, God is preparing you to produce even more fruit through a process called pruning.

“Pruning is a horticultural…practice involving the selective removal of parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots.” (Wikipedia)

Another word for pruning is disambiguation.

That just sounds painful.

And yet it is such a normal, everyday process in the garden of God. I would venture to guess that the more fruit you produce, the more you will be pruned. It will possibly hurt a little or a lot. This sounds backward and unfair. It’s one thing to suffer as a result of sin, but if your pain is simply the result of God’s pruning, you may be asking the LORD, “If I am doing my best to abide in you, WHY ARE YOU CUTTING ANOTHER PART OF ME?”

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1 NIV).

When I think of a living sacrifice, I realize that a living sacrifice can feel all the pain, yet chooses to lay down on that altar day after day after day. But I also cling to this promise: “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them” (Psalm 126:5-6 NIV).

Don’t give up, dear ones; God is not finished with you.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that every pain I feel and tear I cry has the potential to yield much eternal fruit. Help me to wait peacefully for the full harvest. In Jesus’ name, Amen.