Trust The Gardener
“ 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. ”
I grew up hating flowers. As a matter of fact, I hated anything related to plants and dirt. Now, before you pass judgment let me give you some insight as to why I felt so passionately about the matter. Growing up death and grief were very familiar to me. By the end of my teen years, I had lost track of how many hospital rooms and funerals I had attended. Through all of these encounters I noticed an interesting pattern; without fail every hospital room and funeral parlor had been filled with flowers from well-wishers and mourners alike. I quickly and subconsciously learned to associate flowers and greenery with death. See? I told you I had a good reason! Now you can stop judging me.
Interestingly enough, in the past few years, God has taken me on a journey of redemption, redeeming my perspective of flowers, plants, and gardening as a whole. It was during the pandemic and quarantine of 2020 that I gained an appreciation for flowers. It was as if after being locked in the house for so long I wanted a way to bring a part of the outside world, inside. I began to see the beauty that each petal and leaf had to offer. And thus, my heart began to change. During this time as I read the Bible, I began to notice that so much of it references gardening, trees, seeds, plants, and harvests. Suddenly, I could see the way that God reveals Himself through this process in nature.
Today, I am the proud owner of three beautiful plants; Grace, Glory, and the newest member who is yet to be named. I honestly find joy in nurturing and caring for these plants and now even consider myself to be a “plant mom”. I have grown to care for them and am genuinely invested in their well-being. Yes, friends, miracles DO happen. It was one day while I was trimming the leaves of my peace lily, Grace, that for a brief moment, I imagined that Grace was a person with feelings. Here I was shredding away at one of her beloved leaves, a part of her that may have felt integral to her perceived identity.
From her perspective, it must have been a painful process and she may not have understood why I was doing this. Yet, from my unique vantage point as the gardener, I knew that it was necessary. I could see that the once-white blossoms were now a deep, dingy shade of brown. Perhaps when I moved her from the direct stream of light by my window because the harsh light was causing her once deep green leaves to fade to a lighter lime color, she grieved longing to be in the space that was familiar. Or maybe when I repotted her because she had outgrown the pot she had always been in, she had felt disoriented; willing to settle in a place that no longer served her growth.
Friend, aren’t we the same way?
In the end, Grace had no choice but to trust that as the gardener I knew what I was doing. She had to trust that every time I moved her, uprooted her, or shifted her positioning it was for her own good. Grace had to believe that I could see the leaves and branches that were no longer bearing fruit. She had to trust that I would clip them correctly so that nothing dead or stagnant would remain, and in due season, she would produce the beautiful fruit that she was created to produce.
Similarly, God is asking us to trust Him as The Gardener. He is asking us to believe that He knows what He is doing in the soil of our lives. He is asking us to trust in His infinite wisdom and His perfect track record when it comes to causing flowers to bloom. He is asking us to believe that He knows exactly what He is doing and as He clips, prunes, shapes, molds, and uproots us all of it is working together for our good. Furthermore, we must believe that just as I am invested in the prosperity of my plant babies (whose value pales significantly when compared to that of a human being), God is invested in our well-being.
Let me be honest and say that the process may be incredibly personal and painful. It may require you to let go of things and even people that you truly love. It requires you to stretch, shift, pivot, and let go. It is an uncomfortable place to be. Nevertheless, in the end, it will be worth it. God created you to bear good fruit so trust The Gardener, friend. In His hands eventually, you will bloom.
