Hard Talk #4: The Discipline of Pruning (The Pain of Growth)

"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

We usually think of "cutting" as a bad thing. When we lose a job, a friendship, a dream, or a comfort, our first instinct is to ask, "What did I do wrong?" or "Why is God punishing me?" But in the economy of the Kingdom, the knife isn't always a sign of judgment; it is often a sign of a Master Gardener at work.

The Hard Look

Pruning is a violent process for the plant. It involves the removal of living tissue. To the branch, it feels like loss. But the Gardener isn't looking at what is being taken away; He is looking at the fruit that cannot grow as long as that dead weight is there.

God prunes us in two ways:

1. Removing the Dead Wood: These are the sins, habits, or relationships that are actively killing our spiritual life.

2. Thinning the Good Wood: This is the harder part. Sometimes God removes "good" things—distractions, secondary passions, or comfortable seasons—because they are sucking the energy away from the "best" thing He has for us.

If you feel like you are in a season of "less," don't immediately assume you've failed. You might just be being prepared for a harvest you can't yet see.

The Path Forward: Trusting the Gardener

1. Identify the "Suckers": In gardening, suckers are small shoots that grow at the base of the vine. They look like the plant, but they don't produce fruit—they just steal nutrients. What "suckers" are in your life right now? Things that look productive but are actually just draining your time and spirit?

2. Surrender the Scissors: Stop trying to tape the old branches back on. If God has clearly closed a door or removed a resource, stop mourning the loss and start asking, "Lord, what are You clearing space for?"

3. Wait for the Season: Pruning happens in the winter when the plant looks dormant. If you feel "stale" or "empty" after a loss, stay attached to the Vine. The growth always follows the cut, but it takes time.