When I think of spring I get excited to plant new flowers, to see my trees bloom, but one thing I don't enjoy is cleaning out the old leaves, weeds, and pruning. The one definition of pruning is to remove (anything considered superfluous or undesirable). To me that is also a metaphor of our lives. Spring cleaning and pruning. Do I enjoy it? No, but is it necessary..yes. If not those weeds will strangle the life out of my plants (life), and they will take over everything.
We all want our yards to look beautiful, but for that to occur we must spend numerous hours working and sweating to make it all come together. Some have the pleasure of paying someone to do it for them, but I like to look at mine and say I did that. But I don't like the hard work it takes at pruning my life. Why? Because it hurts sometimes. We all have those people, places and things we have to cut out of lives sometimes b/c they are a cancer to us. Even when it may be family. That is the hardest to do, b/c we want so much for our family to love us, and to love them. Change is difficult...in the past I have absolutely loathed change, but I see it now as a necessity of my life. Without it I will stay the same...and that is not acceptable to me anymore.
As I watched my youngest one sleep next to me last night...I felt my heart swell with love for her. She is a wonderful child, with a heart for God...who could truly ask for more? I realize for her to grow into the young woman she needs to be to be healthy..pruning of my life is essential. She has watched (as all my kids have) me fall flat on my face..more than once, but she has also seen me pick myself back up, dust off and move on. Our kids have to see our weaknesses and faults or they will grow up believing they have an expectation of perfection to live up to. I did it with my grandmother, and it only caused me grief as I got older.
It is hard, but I have to take an inventory of my life and see where I am lacking and make a conscience effort to try and make it right. Forgive those that need forgiven (even if they don't know it), ask for forgiveness (even when my pride will fight me to the death on it!), and let go of issues that I truly cannot change. God is my driver...or at least He is trying to be! I keep telling Him to move over and let me do it b/c i can do it better..NOT really, but our minds and satan can make us think we can. We can fix it all..but we can't. The more we fight it the worse our lives spiral out of control.
So, I will keep working on the pruning. My hands may get raw, my heart and head feel like they may explode or implode, and the tears may flow, but this is my life...I have an obligation to my family to keep moving forward, and that my friend is what I plan on doing.
Luke 8:11
11"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
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1 comment:
Oh, if only it were the Spring of my life and I could really do some pruning. But I think I'm more in late summer. Everything starts to wilt(sag, fall, loose it's color,(hair) or leaves.} I have done some pruning in my life and you are right...it does hurt. But, the flower that bloomed from it was good. Keep up the writing, it's great.
Sue
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