“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
Just think about it! We are the branches on the vine in God’s garden. He is the gardener who watches over the health of all the branches and all the trees.
He cuts off the bad branches and prunes the good branches.
cutting and pruning process
An interesting fact is that the trimming of the trees- the branches and pruning is done in the winter while trees are dormant (at the season of slow down or in sleep). Also it requires very precise procedure in order not to harm the trunk of the tree and for the cut to get quick sealing and healing. If it is done improperly it can damage the trunk, causing disease to a tree that can spread to other trees via the roots.
Why during winter?
The temperature and infection rates are lower and trees are not actively growing.
Let’s apply this to our lives.
There are different seasons in our lives. Some of them really look like the winter season. What does the winter season look like? For each one of us it can be very different, it can be a time of trial, time of sickness, time of feeling useless, a dark time. But we are all the branches of One vine in God’s garden. He is the professional!!! He is the One who knows the best how to cut off things from our lives and how to prune us. The winter is the best time to do it. Any cut is painful, it’s a wound, and of course it’s a scar. When you look at the tree, you can see the scars of the branches that were cut off. But let me tell you, every scar speaks! In the hands of the master it’s no longer a wound, but a testimony of life that was brought to us through cutting death out from us.
The scars on the hands and feet of Jesus brought to us salvation. He is the One who first took our death upon Himself, becoming the foundation, the VINE, the root of life. Now, if we are branches that are pruned, and the Father is the gardener, we can totally trust Him.
Yes, there are seasons….
I can picture us as trees in God’s garden. I am so blessed to know that all of us are in good hands – in the hands of our Master Gardener, who knows better how to prune us and prepare us for a fruitful season. As long as we are feeding from the One source – from Him, we will grow and bear much good fruit!
