Pruning 101

 God gets my attention with the beauty and phenomenon of nature.  It’s a pathway He uses most often when I need insight or redirecting.  How timely that we are in full swing spring!  The sprouts, blooms and meddling little weeds that are taking over our landscape at break neck speed are practically assaulting me with their metaphors.

 

My word for the year is slow.  This makes me chuckle.  I set out with best intentions and solid reasons as to why I needed the word slow in my life this year but I'm finding that slow has turned to brisk which turned to swift and on to turbo.  Then enters spring and all of its beautifully wild expansion and before you know it, it’s time to prune.  A snip here and there as I shape my mums, dead head my geraniums, and keep weeds from invading my lovelies in order to ensure balance and space for them to reach their full potential.  This reality in nature makes it apparent that my schedule needs pruning as well.  Even some good and beautiful things might need to go.

 

I’m not a big fan of pruning although I know way down into my soul that it is good and necessary.  It means saying NO, making reductions and downsizing even when everything in me screams YES, you can do it, or better yet, you should do it!  This is hard for me.  Pruning takes effort and resolve which will lead to healthier lives and relationships but the commitment and willingness it takes can keep me from ever picking up the pruning shears.  It’s here where God grabbed my attention.

 

I noticed this interesting, gnarly tree that I believed to be a Wisteria.   It called to me to stop the car and take a picture of it.  I need a bumper sticker that says, “I brake for nature pics,” it’s becoming a problem.  I couldn’t quite decide if the tree was ugly, beautiful or just needed redirecting.  Most of the tree looked full and fruitful, with blossoms overflowing but many of its branches were growing haphazardly in all directions. 

 In my fascination, I researched “Wisteria” and found that this was actually a tree with a wisteria vine growing up and within its branches.  The words that followed were the words God wanted me to hear if I would listen.  “Don’t let those beautiful blooms fool you.  In spite of its beauty and fragrance, wisteria is a fast growing vine that can quickly take over plants (including trees) as well as any buildings (like your home) if given the chance.  It can quickly and easily choke out surrounding plants and structures within its path.   For this reason, it must be kept under control with regular pruning, otherwise, your only option may be getting rid of wisteria all together.”

This is why there was no uniformity, no harmony between the host tree and the wisteria vine that fought for control.  They looked like they were battling each other for space and air.  When my pace of life and my peace of mind begin battling for space and air, God stops me in my tracks with a simple tree.   When some of my relationships, even the good ones, need pruning, He uses an overflow of whimsical flowers to catch my eye. 

His love for us is so bountiful that He has woven truth and instruction into every created thing.   If we pay attention, believing that God wants to speak to us in small and mighty ways, the earth becomes our classroom.
 

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.  Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?  In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”   Job 12:7-10

If you are sensing that your pace and your peace are at odds with each other, join me in picking up the shears and through prayer and reflection, begin pruning and opening up space for your soul to grow.

 

Debbie K.

 

 

 

 

Be Still

I feel the Holy Spirit most when I am outside breathing in the surroundings of nature, assuming the bugs aren’t biting too badly of course.

On this particular day I was wandering around familiar woods by a lake house I have visited since I was a teenager, camera in hand, as always. And by camera, I mean my phone.
I walked and prayed. Prayed and walked. Nothing in particular, really. Kind of the usual. Some gratitude. Some help for others in need. And a plea for God to really speak to me in some over the top, Hollywood way, where Morgan Freeman’s voice echoes through the woods.
I sit. Waiting. Nothing. Still nothing. Still sitting. Still. Perfectly Still.

“Be still and know that I am God”—Psalms 46:10

And I see it. It’s subtle, but its there. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. It’s no booming voice. It’s not a clear message. There’s room for interpretation. Maybe it was a combination of the setting sun and the reflection of the water, but I was mesmerized by these twisted, wrapping branches. I started taking some pictures of it and felt its importance to my day. God knew I would understand best through my camera (phone) lens.

I can relate to the tangles of these branches. I’m in a busy season of life. Geez, maybe they’re all busy seasons. It’s easy to lose myself in all of this adulting. I’m doing my best each day to be a fun wife, teach a classroom of kids, and raise 3 humans of my own. I try to squeeze in time with family and friends. Hobbies are sporadic and dreams seem distant. And I am always too tired for laundry mountain.

In this moment of stillness,
In this moment of nature.
In a click of the lens,


I heard a simple message. Wrap tightly around what makes you stronger.
What makes you stronger? What can you let go? Who or what are you holding onto? Do you need to let anything go? How are your tangles? Are you wrapping yourself around the love of Jesus? Are you allowing Him to wrap his arms around your life as you grow?

Much love, Shelisa Welde