We had some wicked storms last week, and my glorious garden - which showed so much promise for summer - suffered the rage of wind & hail. I surveyed the damage, heartbroken, and pulled out my pruning shears to finish off what Mother Nature began. I forced myself to remember that pruning, even violent pruning of the kind the storm wreaked, effects more growth and greater fruitfulness. That reminder was the only way I could bring myself to do the cutting.
I presently face a storm in my own life. I have a life-changing decision to make. One moment I find myself thrilled, elated about possibilities; the next moment I cower before all the potential changes I face. I despise making decisions and resist even the best of changes. Decisions and changes feel like storms to me, however much I might wish myself to possess the spirit of those who eagerly embrace them.
Yet pruning causes greater growth. When we allow God to cut away even healthy growth, we grow back fuller, richer, more fruitful. Why? Is it that we rely more on Him when He removes things we've relied upon in His place? Is it an exercise in trust and obedience? Is it that He's saving people like me from our self-made ruts that become oh-so-comfortable but don't challenge us to reach for greater things?
I don't know the answer, exactly. But coincidentally (or providentially?), I read this yesterday from Discovering the Feminine Genius by Katrina Zeno:
One thing in life is predictable: change. Change, however, isn't arbitrary. God allows the stretching, fracturing, and reconfiguring of our lives in order to weave our unique tapestries in a more holistic (and holy) way.
Stretching, fracturing, and reconfiguring. That about sums up my life at the moment. How very wonderful to know that even though change feels so hard, God works through it to cultivate my interior garden.
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