For Best Results — Prune

With the impending arrival of Spring, I have gardening, plants and healthy growth on my mind. Particularly I have the task of pruning on my mind.

I will readily admit that I’m not a plant or tree expert, but I know that sometimes dead weight be needs trimmed, or unproductive stalks need clipped off. For example, I distinctly remember my Grandfather “suckering” his tomato plants to force better, more plentiful fruit. Although this process can seem harsh, it is all about forcibly removing what is unhealthy or unhelpful for a more bountiful result.

My thinking really isn't about plants though...The Bible is clear that people share some similarities to plants. Humans grow in understanding, ideas are planted and take root in our minds, and healthy relationships need to be cultivated and cared for.

And so, I’ve been thinking about life and pruning leading to questions that we an ask ourselves such as: What activities could or should be pruned from my schedule? What thoughts or types of thinking should be pruned from my mind? Is there something I am focusing on that is unnecessary or even harmful? Do I have a relationship that needs refined or even eliminated?

For myself, one area that comes to my mind is entertainment, specifically movies. I do enjoy catching a film, particularly inspiring stories based on true events. That being said, for the past couple years I’ve made a list of the movies I’ve watched. One thing I noticed is that if I watch just one movie each week, the time really adds up! That begs the question is “Is this the best use of my time? Is this story helping me to grow and be fruitful? Is this choice fostering life in me and those around me?”

And so this Spring I’m looking to prune unfruitful areas of my life.

How about you? Are unholy activities, worthless hobbies, or even destructive people in your life that you need to trim from your time and attention? Life is short. So let’s fix our attention and actions on The One True God, and the people that He wants us to interact with.

Passages to Ponder

John 15:1-8
Matthew 3:1-12
Luke 13:6-10
1 Corinthians 15:33
Proverbs 22:24-25
Proverbs 13:20
2 Timothy 2:16-17