My favorite houseplant is a Ming Aralia. The leaves are wispy light and remind me of a bonsai tree. In the late summer, it was screaming to be repotted: leaves yellow and drooping, no new shoots.
In November, I knew it had to be done. I had put it off long enough. I found a pot and bought some good soil and began the chore of repotting. Honestly, it’s not that much work; it just takes time to prep and do it. No surprise here, – other plants were in this predicament, so if I was transplanting one, I was transplanting several.
I began with my sweet Aralia. As I worked to pull the plant out of the pot, I realized that it was stuck. The pot was the problem. It was convex in shape – small at the top and bottom, wide in the middle. I worked on it for a few minutes and concluded that the only way to get it out of the pot was to break the pot.
So, I set it free. With shards everywhere, I looked at the roots, a replica of the pot – tightly woven in a convex design with nowhere to go. When roots are like this, you have to free the roots by pulling them apart. My poor plant lost quite a few roots that day, but sometimes you have to lose some roots for the plant to thrive again.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
John 15:1-2 (NIV)
Sometimes, like roots, we can spiral around doing the same thing day in and day out. We can be drooping – stagnant and tired of the same old thing. And, we will rarely have any spiritual fruit to show for this. Our Father, the gardener, wants us to be free to thrive, so he prunes us so that we can be better. Pruning plants is healthy and helps them actively grow. When God prunes us, it can help us grow in faith and trust, thus helping us to be more obedient whenever He calls us to serve Him. Through this we grow and bear healthy fruit.
How do we know when we are being pruned? Well, it is a little like my aralia being transplanted. Breaking the pot, pulling the roots, changing the soil. Sometimes it is a trial; sometimes it is ongoing difficulties. We must learn to transplant our burdens to God and let him take control of them. It’s hard – I know! I lead a children’s ministry team each Wednesday and it seems that there is always an issue: teachers are out, no substitutes, many kids, not enough space. I am stretched and worn and tired. I sometimes think, “This isn’t what I want to do!” But then I am reminded that it’s not about me. It’s about what God can do through me. And perhaps God is pruning me for more, but I need to fully trust Him in the here and now.
So I am trying to do this. And on Wednesdays when a problem creeps up, I tell God, “You’re in charge; help me trust you.” Sometimes I have to say this a few times, as I am a work in progress. But I keep saying it and God keeps showing up.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15:8
Oh, my Ming Aralia – it’s doing okay. No new growth yet, but when plants are pruned, the benefits are not seen immediately. It takes time. Same with us – it takes time. Jesus said that if we remain in him, we will bear much fruit. So remain. Wait. And in a little while, you will be growing and bearing fruit. It can be difficult, but it is so worth it.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for loving me so much that you want me to grow and be better. Prune me, use me, grow me into the servant that you want me to be. Let me wait in you, trusting that you will help me each step of the way. Help me to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. For you are the only God, now and forevermore.
Amen.
