tests and trials = pruning

Although I do not claim to have deep theological understanding, God has filled His Word with tons of practical teachings and everyday examples for common folk like me.

This morning, following the heavy rains of the past couple days, I spent about an hour working on our flowers. There were many, dead, soggy, damaged blossoms that needed to be removed. I noticed the dead blossoms also on the deck - the pieces that had become useless to the plant and fallen away.

As I began to work on them and started to see the beautiful results of my work, it dawned on me exactly what God was talking about when He uses the gardening analogy of pruning in the Bible. As areas of our lives become dead, and things need to be removed He promises to prune them just as a gardener does with dead branches. He cannot tolerate dead areas of a believers life and so He allows trials or uses other people, whatever it takes to prune them from our lives.

John 15:2
Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Growing up I often thought when I saw a true believer suffering through trials, that maybe they had done something wrong. Now I know it is just the opposite! Those he sees potential in, those who can make a difference, those who love the Fathers dearly - they are the ones He tests and allows what we perceive to be negative circumstances to enter their lives.

I love that the Lord brought this simple example to my attention this morning. The examples of His nature teach us so much and demonstrate the amazing attention to detail He created around us...FOR us!

Pruning is a promise, not a maybe for those who are His children...the beautiful results of testing and trials yield a bounty that an easy life can never offer.