Using the pieces

(sometimes pruning is just what is needed)

For more than a few weeks the daily commute on Interstate 40 has included watching tree trimming along the shoulder of the highway. It appears this landscaping work is needed to maintain a proper vegetation-free zone around the highway while still allowing for the wonderful green feel of the major roads in the Triangle. As the work moved forward the actual tree trunks were carted off… the branches though were eventually chopped up on the spot and spread out under the remaining trees. The leftover pieces will compost over time and provide a rich base of growth for the rest of the life of the pines. The past benefits the future.

“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 15:2

God has an approach to the lives of his children that is similar to the landscapers along the highway. The big chunks of our life that aren’t being productive get hauled away. The tragedies and disappointments we’ve faced are conquered through his unfailing mercy. We move on and a clear path around our life comes into view again. But the smaller pieces…the pieces we can learn and grow from stick around. They get chopped up into a size that we can manage…a size that provide us with a rich base of growth for the balance of our life. And so our past benefits our abundantly fruitful future.

Thanks for all you do.

Brian

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Volume 6, Number 37