Pruning

 I need to prune my azalea plant. Just one of them sprouted two large branches. The rest of the plant is more of a typical size. I don't want to prune it. I am nervous. I'm worried that the plant won't grow well again. With the money we spent on the plants, I don't want them to die. But the Houston Master Gardeners say I should. As I hesitate so much, I've thought a lot about the scriptural connection to pruning.

Hugh B. Brown spoke about God being the gardener and cutting us down. I love that talk. He realized that when God was cutting him down, it was to bring about other blessings in his life.

It wasn't until I have this plant that needs pruning that I can more relate to how Heavenly Father must feel. He is much more invested in His children than I am in my azalea plant. And yet, He knows that pruning us makes us stronger. What faith and courage it takes to prune a child. To know that cutting back can actually strengthen a child needs to be done through thoughtful prayer and personal revelation.

I've also thought about how God has pruned me this year. If you asked me on March 1st what my biggest fears were, one of them would be staying home with my four kids for days on end. There was a lot of anxiety around that. We typically go out somewhere each day for my sanity. And yet, by mid-March, there was nowhere to go! Plus the risk of infection of a virus that we didn't know much about was a little scary. Heavenly Father cut a lot out of our lives this year. We don't have the typical socializing events, library story times, playgroups, etc. No book club, no school for a while, etc. Our calendar was suddenly very open. And I say this knowing that many families are much more busy than we are. Our only extracurricular really is piano. And then Tanner's tee ball was added. But that's it.

And yet, when I thought I would struggle, I felt strengthened. Our family has been strengthened. The things our kids have learned over the past six months is wonderful. The time they've had to just play and be dirty, messy, play in the dirt/rain/sun is wonderful. I feel stronger and more able to handle what life throws at me. When so many things were cut out, our days were filled with so much more.

So maybe I'll prune that azalea plant soon.