Last year was a terrible summer for roses in our area. It started in early spring with an aphid infestation the likes of which I had never seen before. After I eradicated that problem which took weeks, fungus set in. This was an even more difficult foe that I fought for the rest of the summer. My roses would set buds but never bloom fully as they were encased in disease.
This year, I started early so I did not repeat the previous year’s drama. Everything looked great until the cottage roses began to bud. The buds looked like they were encased in mildew. And so the deep pruning and began . . .
As I hacked away, my husband said—are you sure those will grow back? My response was better than ever. And I told him to pay attention as he would see the reason for God’s pruning of each of us. I treated the soil and the remainder of the bush several different ways and then left them alone. And sure enough, about 3 weeks later, we once again had beautiful rose bushes. And as promised they were bearing more beautiful and abundant fruit (roses) than they had before.
When I compare the pruning of my life by God as I willingly surrendered, there were times I felt I would be left with nothing, as things that I loved were pruned off. It is not that many of these things were not good, but God knew that the new growth would produce very good things. And these new things would grow me and His kingdom. That alignment with God is my heart’s desire.
There were many times I did not fully submit to God in the process as I was unwilling to give up my wants (a posture of doubting that he did not have my best interest at heart). And our God is such a gentleman, he does not force us into anything when we do not give permission. But the benefit of age is that God and I have danced this dance for many years, and I now know that obedience demonstrates full trust in him.
Why is that important? The antidote for the fall, when I took the reins out of God’s hands and decided to run my own life, is to return to the pre-garden position of “God, my life could not be better, you are safe, full of sacrificial love, and wiser than anyone could ever be. I want you to keep running my life.”
And when God has the reins, the enemy is permanently silenced. The same enemy that loves to speak in our ears, as he did in the garden to Eve, God is holding out on you for “he knows that your eyes will be open and you will be like him” (Gen 3:5), so do not trust him!
My answer, prune away God . . .
And that’s the mid-week memo.
Shalom, Colleen
