Prune
verb
trim (a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, especially to increase fruitfulness and growth.
It seems oxymoronic to cut something to encourage growth, but the laws of nature don’t always make sense. Pruning is the process of removing the damaged areas of a plant or tree to regulate flowering or fruiting. We let our stylists trim our hair so it can grow, but we struggle with cutting people out of our lives. We remain in toxic situations that are stunting our growth. We need to prune some people, places, and things from our lives. It will hurt. It will be uncomfortable. It will not be easy, but it is necessary. If you really want to grow, prune!
Picked
We all want to be loved. We all want to be chosen. We want to approved. We want to be accepted. We want to be picked. We want to know that we are included. We want to know that we are important. It’s only natural. What if I told you that you are loved? What if I told you that you are special and one of a kind?You are the apple of God’s eye. You are one of God’s creations picked to live and exist in such a time as this. You have a purpose. You were bought with a price. You were picked.
Planted
I think we confuse being buried with being planted. The process is similar, but the results are different. Both journeys involve isolation. Both journeys involve transition. Both journeys are emotional. Both journeys involve change. All of which can be areas of struggle. We tend to fight what we can’t control. We make the journey more difficult than it needs to be. Ask God, “am I being buried or planted?”
Peace
I have learned that peace does not come without work. It does not come without struggle. It does not come without planning. Peace requires a decision to be made, and action to be taken. You have to claim your peace. You have to declare peace in your life and your family. Peace is your portion. Peace is your gift. Peace is a blessing.
Psalm 29:11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.
Garden
“Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get”.- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Despite my allergies, I loved helping my grandfather in his garden. He had such patience to dig, plant, and water. I wanted to see the results of our efforts- immediately, but that’s not how his garden worked. I wanted to eat the fruits of our labor, and I did- just not at that moment. Patience. I enjoyed all the fresh vegetables he planted each season. It took time. I loved watching them grow. I’m sure that’s how God looks at us. He watches us grow. He waters us. He prunes us and picks us. He cultivates our talents and gifts as we grow. We bloom in our own time. We are all a part of God’s garden.
Glean
I love the story of Ruth and Naomi. There are so many reasons why this relationship should have ended, but it didn't. Naomi encourages Ruth to move on, which ultimately sets her up for her next blessing, Boaz. It was in Boaz’s field that he found Naomi gleaning. Gleaning by definition means to gather after harvest or to extract from multiple sources. What are you gleaning? More importantly, where are you gleaning? We need to glean in fields that still have something after a harvest- meaning a source that has more than enough, overflow. We need to glean from sources that have the ability to produce our next blessing. We need to glean from people, situations, and relationships. We must be in the proper position, with the right people to glean. Ruth was with Naomi, in Boaz’s field. Where are you? Who are you with? Can you glean?
Grow
“People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.”- Plato
We don’t see our progress. We don’t see how far we’ve come. We don’t see our growth until someone points it out. We can’t stop it. It just happens. We heal. We move on. We get bigger. We get wiser. We grow. Embrace it. Love it. Fight it. It is still going to happen. We grow when we least expect it. It comes in spurts. It comes with pain. It comes with joy. We grow.