Pruning Unlocked

Gardens have themes. Well, really, they’re just giant science experiments each year to figure out what breeds life. In our case, we have wisely chosen to build a garden in a backyard surrounded by very tall trees. The brilliance is so evident, is it not? For this reason, we have done our best to improve that which we can control. Each year, we’ve put more intentionality into our soil. We’ve learned how to physically prop plants up well so they can thrive. Our selection on what we actually do plant has narrowed and become more focused with regionally-specific varieties so we can see success. We’ve added plants to attract pollinators so pollination occurs more frequently.

This year, in addition to layering our soil, a big focus has been pruning. When I think of that word, my thoughts go to cutting away that which is no longer growing well. Maybe the leaves have a disease or have yellowed, or maybe parts of the plant have simply died off. It makes a lot of sense to rid plants of those trouble areas to give them the ability to channel their energy towards what is healthy.

What I have not focused on is the idea of pruning something healthy to promote even more growth and harvest. We’ve never done the best job with thinning out plants once the seedlings start to show. This year, it was painful to pull up tiny, thriving plants in order to leave space for the select few to have the real estate to actually grow legitimate fruit (or in this case, mostly vegetables). But while it was painful, we’ve seen some real results. 

Who knew that tomato plants have different kinds of branches that grow from the main stem? We do now, and we have started cutting the branches off below where fruit is growing to help the plant focus its energy. And guess what? We actually have grown many tomatoes (in the past we were lucky to get a handful).

I learned, recently, with herbs, the more you cut them, the more they will grow and get bushier, provided you know where to cut. I tried it and let me tell you, it works! Pruning in this way has actually paved the way for double the amount of growth to take its place.

Sometimes it requires cutting away something that is actually still good in order to leave room for even greater goodness. 

Not an easy thing. How to decide what is worth keeping and getting rid of? How does one embrace that some good things are temporary and should be let go of before they stop serving us as well as they currently are? 

We need to give ourselves permission to use up some of the good growth and recognize it’s a one time use, but that doesn’t mean the one time isn’t worth it. Pasta sauce with fresh basil (even if the basil was cut from its parent plant to grow no more), is much better than without it. 

I think what I’m learning is how to strategically prune both the good and dying to promote good growth. When and where should I cut the plant? 

In a real world context, sometimes we might be managing something very well, but there’s the feeling it’s not bringing us the life and joy it once did. It’s not draining us, but it’s stunting us and not giving us room to say yes to something else. Or maybe we need to accept a relationship we thought was intended to be evergreen was actually only meant to last one season. We need to cut, or perhaps release, the good thing.

And you know what’s cool about that? Someone else will step into our place, take on our ceiling as their floor, and thus double, triple or even more growth can occur. Space is created for new relationships to occur.

Pruning has multiple applications, not just cutting that which is dying. We have the invitation to say yes to both kinds of pruning, in our gardens, but also in our lives. Easier said than done.

So, where in your world do you sense the invitation to let go of something good to leave space for more growth to occur? Where do you see the Lord showing you something that He intended to be an annual, but are holding onto as if it were meant to be perennial? Is there anything taking energy from your ability to produce truly good fruit for His Kingdom?

Tough questions folks, but the pruning is worth it.

Hosta Resurgence

Our yard is thriving right now. All the bushes are at their flowering best and everything’s turning that delicious bright green that promises new growth and life. 

Among these visual delights are also the return of things like crocuses, daffodils, and hostas. 

It is hostas that have captured my particular attention recently. 

There is something hearty and sturdy about them. They’re nothing if not resilient because they completely disappear over winter and emerge once again in spring. Many plants do the same thing, but hostas really make you believe they will never show up again. Once they do, however, they do so exceptionally rapidly, it’s a wonder to see how things change even from one day to the next. 

Nature and the world revolve around seasons. Some seasons leave one wishing to be able to keep things exactly as they are, whereas others provide a sense of relief to shed unwanted burdens. 

It seems more focus is left to what we want to part with rather than what we hope to keep.

Hostas are a reminder that some things are worth keeping, and just like a once favorite song, they may not be seen constantly, but when they re-emerge, it’s a lovely example that there are indeed things worth keeping. (This feels reminiscent of how so many of our generation can break into a coordinated dance at the first few notes of the song “Bye Bye Bye”...a worthy keepsake.)

Sometimes we all need to be reminded of the hopes, dreams, and lessons that have been dormant, only to be brought back to the surface by some natural rhythms. 

Resurgence can be defined as “an increase or revival after a period of little activity, popularity, or occurrence.”

Hostas, in particular, are an excellent reminder of what resurgence looks like.

The hosta resurgence. 

An example worth following and a reminder worth having.

Called to the Creator

God is creative.

He’s also kind, compassionate, and sovereign. 

He’s so many things and remarkably, He chose to create us. 

I think this is why I find myself feeling more aware of His presence and more connected to Him when I’m in nature. It’s as if the created status in me connects with that which has also been created to draw me closer to my Creator. 

Even more extraordinary, He made us to be able to create and participate within His creation. Perhaps this is why I have such an affinity with plants. I have no real control or ability to claim I made a plant grow or created the plant. Sure, I can provide the ideal settings, seed depth, frequency of watering, and necessary light, in other words, participate, but in the end, I cannot make the seed sprout to reveal and create a plant. I participate in and trust in the Creator to help the plant grow.

In all of these musing, it’s been a particular joy to begin planting the seeds of a garden this spring. I started with 72 pods and after two days of planting, was able to see some growth. It brought me an insane amount of gratification and joy. Even a matter of hours yielded new growth over these past few weeks. 

Creation calls to the created to reconnect with the Creator. 

I do not know what that looks like for you, but when I listen and yield to that calling, He is there waiting on the other end.

With This Ring...

There was a large tree in our backyard that was dying. It was clear. There was a wound on one side of the bottom of the trunk which continued to grow.

Death was a when not an if. 

We decided that keeping our roof intact was worth saying goodbye to this otherwise wonderful tree. Shocking, I know. Sounds obvious, but it was sad to have to choose to cut down a tree of its size.

It was massive. How old was it? How many residents of the house had it known?

After our tree friend was dismantled branch by branch and then chunk by chunk, all that remained was a low stump. The rings inside were exposed.

Each ring tells a story about the tree. Some are thicker than others. Circumstances and the environment have an impact on what each ring looks like. 

The cross-section gave a glimpse into a lifetime.

So it is with us. Each year we live adds another ring to our story. Some are robust, full of abundance and celebration. Others are lacking, showing signs of weathering some storms. Some rings we want to remember because of the sweetness they held. Others we want to forget, move on, and, if it were possible, remove.

Either way, each year, or ring, is part of the makeup of who we are.

So, the Lord has given us a ring. We are currently living through the celebrations and circumstances which contribute to the character of the ring and this chapter of our story. 

With this ring…

How would you complete the sentence? How have you seen the Lord be faithful? What’s been hard? 

Regardless, it’s a ring we’ve been given. Let’s do our best to wear it well.

What Kind of Light?

I often go on walks. They seem to be a time when I can get my mind clear enough for the Lord to speak. Perhaps it has something to do with the idea that an active body creates space for a less occupied mind.

This morning, while walking around a park near where we live, I passed through a patch of sunlight. Considering it was below 40 degrees, the warmth of the sun was a welcome change from the frigidity of the crisp, morning air. 

It got me thinking about how the Bible mentions bringing things to the light. But my question is:

What kind of light?

Is it a sterile, hospital, florescent sort of light that exposes flaws or is it a warm, inviting light that provides warmth while illuminating areas of improvement?

In short, what kind of voice accompanies the light? The Father’s or the enemy’s?

If something needs to be uncovered, and thus brought into the light, there should be two characteristics present:

1. The kindness and warmth of it is what will lead us to confess. In other words, guilt and condemnation are not the motivators.

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Romans 2:4

1. It connects us to the Father and each other rather than creating distance.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:7

Going back to my walk, the path gives plenty of views of the lake. Have you ever noticed how the mist over water on a cold morning gently travels towards the sun and when it reaches the beams, it slowly drifts upward?

I think that is a beautiful picture of what our sin can look like. We are pulled toward the Son and when we get into His presence, He gently asks for our confession and receives it to the point of it no longer being visible any more. 

Just as mist disappears in the light of the sun, so too does our sin in His light.

The illumination of the light of the sun and Son not only bring sin into view, but also show great things in our lives as well. This light is not exposing.

So, choose your light. Choose illumination and warmth rather than exposure and cold, both for yourself and those around you.