Season of Growth

 

Our church is blessed to gather on a beautiful piece of property where our buildings are surrounded by trees. During the recent ice storm, the trees were especially beautiful, glistening in a coat of ice that reflected the light in dreamlike ways. I was not the only one, I am certain, who took pictures of the unusual Christmas card scene.

The downside to the beauty of it all was that the thick coating of ice was heavy. When the winds blew, limbs could easily break and come down. That was the case with this tree. Before the temperatures warmed and the ice melted, a limb snapped and twisted in a gust of wind. A faithful church member sawed off the limb and hauled it away. I doubt anyone else will notice the missing limb or the fresh trimming. The tree is still a tree, pruned, yet still beautiful. Life goes on.

Our lives are in a constant process of pruning and trimming. Sometimes it comes by necessity, when we are broken by the storms that come our way. Sometimes it comes through the intentional work of tending our lives. Either way, we may look a little different, but we are still who we are. Like the tree, we are still alive and growing, looking forward to Spring.

Jesus said, “ I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 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.” We can easily forget that a little trimming does not necessarily mean we have failed. Sometimes it means we are on the correct path and that we are ready for a season of growth. Sometimes a little trimming means there are good things ahead.

Peace.