+JMJ
I was pruning the rose bushes in the yard this week. They haven’t been pruned in almost three years…. Oops…
They were really overgrown, and a huge tangled mess that took much longer than I had anticipated to clean up. There was lots of pausing, study, and deciding on the best places to cut, and pieces to remove. It was painful. Both in how time consuming it was, and literally being pricked and scratched by the thick bramble of thorns. There were many times I wanted to quit and call it good.
The Lord is the Gardener
I am the vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me, that beareth not fruit, He will take away, and every one that beareth fruit, He will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now you are clean by reason of the word, which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
I am the vine, you the branches. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing.
-John 15:1-5
My Meditation
I see the Lord in His garden. Surveying each plant and inspecting them carefully. He finds pieces intertwined that are choking other areas. There are some plants that are all misshapen and messy. He removes the tangled branches, the dead sections, and the overgrowth. Sometimes He takes just small portions, gently shaping them in His hands. Other times He hacks out huge portions, almost giving me the feeling that it will never be able to grow back. But He knows precisely what each plant needs and what it can handle.
Lent: A Time for Pruning
This is what can happened during Lent. It is a time when the Lord can look into our souls. He is able to survey, inspect it, and then act accordingly. Removing the dirt and mess that has tainted it through my sins. It is the time to allow the Lord complete and unhindered direction of the body and soul. Because in the same way that pruning benefits a rose bush, so too it does the soul.
Removing What is Harmful To The Plant
Cutting Away The Overgrowth
Where the tangles impede the growth of the plant, taking back the overgrowth allows for more airflow among the branches. This leads to longevity in the plant. Removing them allows it to grow more efficiently, healthily, and beautifully.
Attachments are like this overgrowth. They impede our ability to truly follow the Lord. For He commands us to “pick up our cross and follow Him.” This is incredibly difficult to do if our hands are full of all the “stuff” we are attached to in this world. A few of my own attachments are social media, food (particularly chocolate), and a need for admiration. These things often get in the way of my relationship with the Lord, and slow my progress in growing like Him.
What are you attached too? What is impeding your relationship with the Lord?
Increase Fruit Production
A benefit of pruning is that it encourages the plant to produce more fruit. It diverts the energy the plant is putting into growing leaves and branches, into producing fruit.
When we put our own wants and desires, over the will of God, we take energy away from producing the fruit we were created to make. If I am putting all my energy into work and not leaving enough energy to pray, I am loosing the fruit that is produced in prayer.
How much energy are you putting into your desires, wants, and appetites? How much energy are you putting into the desires and will of the Lord? What can you do to put more energy to the things the Lord wills for you?
Pruning Makes The Plant Stronger And Sturdier
Part of pruning involves removing the weak branches. The branches that are not going to be able to hold up the beautiful rose blossoms that will come in the summer. We want to promote the strong branches so they become stronger. We want to eradicate the weak branches so they do not hinder the strong branches, in turn weakening them.
This is done in our souls by mortification, fasting, and sacrifice. We want to promote the growth of virtue, which strengthens the soul, and eradicate our weaknesses, which if left unchecked, can weaken the soul. As we are strengthened by virtue and God’s grace, we are able to resist temptations more easily and prevent weaknesses from taking hold.
What can you sacrifice in your life? What cross is the Lord calling you to pick up? What virtue are you weakest in? What can you do to grow in it?
Lent is a time to really let the Almighty Gardener work in your soul. It is a time to really bring the focus to Him, the one who died to save us, and let Him cultivate the soil of the soul and purge whatever is harmful. This is never easy and can even be very painful. But let the Lord work in your soul this Lent. Give everything over to Him completely, and see the beautiful work He can accomplish there.
Thrive in Jesus, my Friends!
What are your plans for Lent this year? How are you going to work on growing closer to the Lord? Leave a comment and let me know!
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