Pruning Season

John 15:1-4  “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer.  He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes.  And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more.  You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.  Live in me.  Make your home in me just as I do in you.  In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only being joined to the fine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.”

At dinner tonight, my son asked about a hat that was sitting on the other side of the room.  This hat has been in that same spot for a while, but he wasn’t sure who it belonged too.  I told him that it was “Papa’s” hat (my father).  

In 2007, my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 57.  I won’t go into detail the emotional rollercoaster that journey dealt, but it was both mentally and physically exhausting.  I questioned God, my faith, and life.  However, He always would wrap me back in and love me relentlessly.  I am telling you this because through that difficult period of time, God was pruning my heart.  This was a pruning season that continued a year after my dad gained his angel wings.  

We go through pruning seasons, blooming seasons, and a season in which we bear fruit.  God is the vine that keeps us intact.  The moment that we start to wander, seem lost, or hopeless, God wraps Himself around us and draws us nearer.  A vine does the exact same thing,  grabs whatever is near it and then proceeds to curl itself around that object providing stability and life.  

So that hat, yes it represents a life that was lived by an amazing man, but it also represents the fruit that has come from that period of time.  Fruit that none of my family would have seen possible during those dark moments.  Whatever season you are in, rest in knowing that He is always there and will wrap Himself around you.  Stay strong and know that you will see fruit again. 

Be Blessed!