a need for pruning

hello you.  are you trying to choose the good portion?

my name is annalea and i am honored to share some ramblings while jessi does just that.

have you ever pruned a plant?

the purpose is to alter the form and growth.  as an oh-so-amateur gardener, i have found the practice of pruning to be incredibly thought provoking.

you need to remove the parts that are no longer beneficial.



earlier this year, i made the tough decision to close my etsy shoppe.  a sort of long-term vacation.  i don't know what the future holds, but i do know i love crafting and selling handmade goodness.  i do know that my shoppe was a source of sweetness in my life.  each order was special to me and i took great pleasure in bringing a little more loveliness to my customers.  but this thing i loved became burdensome.  it was keeping me from the good portion.

the right thing at the wrong time, is the wrong thing. 

most people are too timid about pruning.  it is not just the dead stuff that needs to be cut off, but the thriving and alive.  i felt horrible taking the shears to my beautiful roses and grape vines that first year.  the initial effect was almost ugly. . . until the following season.  those roses grew in fuller.  the vines more vigorous.

pruning encourages fruitfulness.

  this is a continuous process. what will i have to give up next to live with better balance?  right now, i am not quite sure.  what i am sure of is that to properly prune, you need an end goal. 

prune with intention.  prune with thoughtfulness.

what is my purpose?  to glorify God.

what do i want to look like next season?  more fully embracing the grace and faithfulness of the Almighty and living with more love amidst the sorrow and heartache, frustration and brokenness.

 what does He have in mind for me?  more than I can fathom.

because He is a master pruner.

every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

john 15:2