Dead Things - Abiding Part One

by Kelly

Things are a bit different now that I’m following Jesus...in ways that I don’t always recognize until someone points it out. For example, my sweet husband endearingly mentioned the other day how feminine I’ve gotten. I smiled not really paying attention to what he had just said and then a perplexed look spread across my face as the words registered in my brain. Wait a minute...what? I wasn’t sure if I should commend him on his bravery or whomp the man upside the head. I courtesy-laughed it off and didn’t think more of it until I walked in the kitchen one day and my gaze was caught by the beautiful arrangement of fresh flowers sitting in the vase atop the island. Fresh flowers that were alive, and that I had bought. Then it hit me, he was right. (I can already hear Mike saying, “Um, what was that? Can you say that one more time?”). Nevertheless, I am more feminine. Not only do I enjoy waking up before the sun to feed my soul the Good News and having morning chats with my Father, but I also like getting regular manicures, wearing my hair in a messy bun 2 out of 7 days of the week as opposed to every day, and washing my face before I go to bed (things I used to scoff at before I walked closely with Jesus). One of my most treasured things to do, however (and that Jesus has allowed me to share His delight in), is the maintaining of fresh flowers and potted plants around our little hill country home.

This is why, to no surprise, it saddened me to see our little potted hydrangeas about as good as dead a few weeks ago. These little guys had been with us from the beginning of our new life here, and what once served as a vibrant red and green display of warm welcome to friends and family entering our home, now resembled a flash-fried, overdone bouquet of brown chips in a pot. As much as I tried to keep these babies alive by watering them once or twice a week, my efforts failed. It wasn’t until I cut back the old leaves and dead flowers and began watering daily that the beauty was restored and the plant slowly came back to life.

How true this concept is in our own spiritual lives! In John 15:1-2 Jesus uses a parable by saying, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit”. The dead leaves and flowers in my potted plant were just that...dead. No matter how badly I wanted them to spruce up, they weren’t going to. The only purpose they served now, besides being a horrendous eyesore, was to take up the majority of the space in the pot. Removal was necessary in order for new growth to happen.

What is God wanting to remove from your life? Every time I have asked God to show me what I needed to release from the tight grip of my clenched fists in order to run the race He set before me (Hebrews 12:1), He has lovingly shown me the things I needed to hand over to Him. Things that if I wouldn’t have let go of (AKA surrendered); they would still be weighing me down and hindering my awareness of Him. Things that prevented new things from coming into my life. Things that the enemy intentionally disguised as “good” in order to distract and deter me from the mission God imparted on my life. Sometimes things that weren’t things at all, but more so character traits that I otherwise wouldn’t have developed without opening my hands to God. Things that were dead and served no purpose other than wasting my time and efforts, and causing me to stumble over and over again. The Bible is very clear on the time we have and how limited it is. In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church of Ephesus he warns, “not to walk as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

In my life, the “things” pruned looked a lot like the decision not to drink alcohol anymore and to cut back on the amount of food I was consuming (both addictive habits I had formed that were hindering my ability to hear from God). Toxic relationships. Fleshly desires. People pleasing. Boundary setting. Priority shifting. Toxic mindsets. Learning to let go of the all too familiar “Fomo” (Fear of missing out). False gods (AKA idols). And the list goes on. Daily. I am being pruned DAILY. Sometimes, if God’s feelin’ fancy...by the minute. My list may look different than what yours would look like. But I can guarantee you, surrendering to God these things, these dead branches, from our lives allow more time to be focused on what truly matters and deserves our utmost attention. And what a difference that will make!

How great and loving is the God we serve that he would even allow us to be apart of the pruning process. He certainly doesn’t need us, yet He invites us to participate as a way to show us that we need him. The vine dresser holds the shears. We don’t. No matter what illusion the world has convinced us that we are in control, we aren’t. To submit to His ways and surrender our way of doing things for His way of doing things is the beginning of abiding and abundant life. But what happens when things are taken away without our consent or awareness? The latter is oftentimes recognized far after it has happened. It’s that “hind-sight 20/20 vision” that everyone boasts about. You look back on certain events and the way they unfolded and think to yourself, ‘Man, that worked out good’ or maybe ‘Thank God for unanswered prayers’, not really realizing at the time what God was bringing you out of or into. However, things being taken away that we don’t always understand the reasoning behind are a bit more difficult to digest. And sometimes we might not get an explanation this side of eternity or at all. Are we going to trust Him anyways? We are a cause and effect, reason based people. Culture has made us believe that there has to be a logical explanation behind everything that happens, and somehow we are privy to that information. This, however, directly contradicts the basis of faith. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). It’s holding out our hands to the high King and saying, “...not my will be done, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). It’s trusting that His plans for us are good (Jeremiah 29:11) and that He works all things together for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28) without necessarily knowing the endgame.

Throughout my life and the life of my marriage, I have been pruned continuously. Sometimes I have been involved in the process. Other times God has stripped things away. Things I didn’t necessarily recognize as needing to be stripped away. Things that at the time, didn’t seem fair or fun for that matter, but now it’s obvious why they had to happen. Mike would say the same about his own life. Like the time God called him to leave his successful job for the unknown. Regardless of our feelings, the pruning process must happen in order for growth to have a shot at blooming. It is never easy and most of the time, downright uncomfortable, but it is always for our good. Pruning can be a day by day practice that requires trust in our Creator and admission that we aren’t in control. In order to abide, we must be pruned. Like my little potted hydrangea plant...to be fed the sunlight and the water it so desperately needed, the dead leaves and branches had to go!

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for loving us so much that you would allow us to be apart of the pruning process. We know that your plans for us are good. Nothing you do is on accident or a mistake. We trust that whatever you take away will be restored and redeemed for your glory, not our own. Lord, my prayer is that whenever our fists begin to clench, that you’d convict us quickly and remind us that you are in control. Father, show us those things we may need to remove from our lives in order to live the life you created us for. Thank you for teaching us about what it means to abide in you, the true vine. Amen.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to stay tuned and be on the lookout for “Soul Food - Abiding Part Two”, where I’ll share what the Holy Spirit has taught me about the importance of daily sustenance.