Musings on Growth, Pruning Roses, and Pain
Hello Friend!
Today I wanted to take time to consider growth with you. May’s blog posts have been on the theme of growing veggies and/or flowers. But this week, I want to look at growth from a personal level and compare it to growth we seen in the garden.
I recently read a quote by Cynthia Occelli and it really resonated with me. It says: “For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”
Cynthia’s quote sums up what I’ve been wrestling with, in my mind, for the past few weeks. How can it be that what wrecks us, is the very thing that gives us opportunity to change and become something beautiful? To be transparent, I’ve been struggling with seeing the benefits of a particularly painful point in my life. I’m still at the stage where it seems like the suffering was a waste. A dear friend of mine is currently going through some deep waters. It seems almost more than she can bear. And yet, I must counsel my heart that no tear is wasted in the hands of a Creator who is good and loving. As much as I dislike it, growth often comes at the price
It reminds me of John 15:1-2 “I am the true grapevine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”
I prune my rose bushes every February/March. It seems harsh cutting away at a plant with cold winds blowing and no signs of growth. But if I didn’t subject my roses to pruning, they would struggle to grow with diseased and dead branches sucking the life from them. If I want my bushes to produce loads of sweet-smelling roses, I have to cut away the bad. I suppose my life is really the same. The dead or diseased “life draining” areas need to be pruned away in order to make room for new growth. Bitterness, selfishness, and distractions cannot be part of a beautiful life.
Sometimes I find myself feeling like a little seed; crushed under the darkness and weight of the heavy soil around me. Yet, I am reminded that though some seeds rot, others persevere and produce beautiful harvests. So next time I feel like my shell is cracking and my world is completely changed, I must remember the humble seed. I must commit to using this time to grow and produce beauty and bounty in my life.
I hope you’ve found my musings helpful! Leave me a comment with your thoughts on growth.
Thanks for reading,
Abby
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