Hello, family. Long time, no see. Some of you have asked where I've been and why I went quiet. Here's the honest answer: I've been in a season of pruning. One verse has been going around and around in my mind for weeks, and I've been clinging to it like Rose clinging to that door. I'm joking, but I'm also being very serious.
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain.John 12:24
Pruning is going to hurt
I'm not going to dress it up. The Father is the vine dresser, and Jesus tells us how He works:
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.John 15:2
It seems I'm not the only one in this season. Something serious is going on, some real gardening. And pruning hurts, because the parts being removed have been part of you. For me it has touched my church, my circle and some relationships. People I thought would never turn on me did. The list is long, but I won't waste your time on it, because this isn't about me.
If you're being pruned, that's a good sign
Let me start with the encouragement. First, a grain of wheat. Remember, the wheat and the tares grow together and are separated at the end. So if John 12:24 is speaking to you, that means you're wheat. You've already won. The whole point is making sure you're wheat.
Second, the Father doesn't prune what isn't already bearing fruit. If He's pruning you, you're already producing. And it may mean He's about to put you to work, maybe with a new assignment, maybe a greater one, one that needs you free of what's been weighing you down.
The brown leaf is still taking from you
Full disclaimer: I'm not a gardener. I have a cat. Plants and I don't get along. But I know enough about how they work to know this: a brown leaf isn't thriving and isn't doing anything. It looks lifeless. But it's still drawing nutrients and resources from the plant.
That's why the Father has to take it off you. You're going to need all your resources and all your life force for where He's sending you, and right now some of it is poured into something dead. Is that a tough conversation? Maybe. But it needs to be had. And I'm not pointing at you. I'm pointing at me too. I'm living this out right alongside you.
What do you do? Release it.
You have a choice. Remember the rich man who asked Jesus what he had to do to follow Him? Jesus told him to sell everything and come. He didn't want to. You can be that guy and hang on to it all, whether it's possessions, relationships, or habits the Lord has told you to stop and you keep doing anyway. Or you can let it all go and say, "Lord, I just want You."
That takes trust. No matter how it looks, you stand ten toes down on every promise in His Word. And you can't stand on promises you don't know, so first things first: open your Bible.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.Ephesians 3:20–21
I'd bet that whatever you're holding on to is nothing compared to what's on the other side of letting go. He has more than you could even think to ask for. So, do you trust Him?
If you can't say yes yet, that's okay
There's nothing special about me. I've simply learned to be completely dependent on the Lord, and a lot of that came from dying to things. I'm so grateful for it. I want nothing that isn't from Him, and there's a peace in the middle of chaos that can't be explained. I want that for you, and so does He. There's no partiality with the Lord. What He has done for me, He can and will do for you.
If your trust is small, or your prayer life is choked by distraction, there's no condemnation. You don't need all the answers. You just ask.
Pray this with me
Father, in the name of Jesus, please help me to trust You more.
Please give me the grace to pray. Please give me the grace to read Your Word and to trust all of Your promises.
I come against every distraction in the name of Jesus. I don't want the things of this world. I just want You and what You have for me.
Please teach me how. In Jesus' name, amen.
He will teach you. And you're never alone. I'm not some talking head on a box telling you what to do. I'm your sister in Christ, and we're walking this out together. Let's lean on one another.
Walking through a hard season?
Send me your prayer request, or explore inner healing, deliverance and discipleship resources. I'd love to pray with you.
