Pruning the Vine

“So purity and fruitfulness help each other. That it may bear more fruit – For this is one of the noblest rewards God can bestow on former acts of obedience, to make us yet more holy, and fit for farther and more eminent service.” John Wesley’s commentary on John 15:1-2

It’s been 10 weeks since I had surgery. Brain surgery. Still sounds weird when I say it. I’ve been fortunate to have many conversations and uplifting words from folks about my struggle. The best part has been the moments shared with others who have either experienced the same issues as me or something similar. Anyone who has had major medical battles and been through surgery knows that feeling when you meet a fellow survivor of [name your condition]. It’s a great feeling knowing that there are other people in this world that really KNOW how you feel. Even though I’ve had surgery, my headaches are gone, and I’m “back to normal” there are many things that still need to be worked out: my back and shoulders are all out of alignment now because of the extreme tension put on the muscles caused by the headaches, I haven’t exercised in almost a year so I’m very much out of shape, and I’m relearning my sleep-work-rest cycle that was thrown off because I woke up and and went to bed with a headache. Needless to say there’s still LOTS to do despite the main problem being gone.

I say all of that to remind us that life is not as simple as removing one obstacle, and then all your problems go away. When a soldier is shot in battle, he can’t just remove the bullet and then expect the wound and surrounding tissue to heal overnight. It takes time to heal, and then he has to go through physical therapy. So the result is not an immediate change, but a process through which change and ultimately healing can occur. This process is long and arduous and true and total healing is not instant. Yes, the obstacle might be removed from your path in that instant that God intervenes in your life (my surgery for instance), but you still have a life in front of you to live. There’s no traveling through a wormhole in space-time and ending up right where you want to be. Jesus has a process of change that involves molding and shaping and…pruning the sin out of your life to make you into the person he wants you to be. So help explain what this process looks like Jesus uses a farming metaphor.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 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 15:1-2 (ESV)

I come from a long line of farmers and green thumbs, agriculturalists and ranchers that devoted their lives to the fields and barns in the backcountry of both Louisiana and Mississippi. Although I have this rich heritage in my roots, I personally grew up in the suburb’s of a bustling city in NW Louisiana. I love the outdoors, animals, and nature in general but I have to be honest…I do not have a green thumb. Having done some “research on this” (youtube…), when you want a plant or crop to grow and thrive, it needs some form of pruning and trimming. My mom’s flower beds need the weeds taken out and a farmer has to inspect his crops to make sure bad leaves and stems are trimmed off. If not, they’ll ruin the rest of the crop and keep it from thriving. The bad stuff has to be removed.

My battle with daily headaches caused by Chiari Malformation has brought to light a number of infected stems and dead leaves that need extensive pruning. Jesus told us in John 15 that he is the vine upon which we, his branches, grow and produce fruit (good works). If we are to be productive fruit-bearing branches, we MUST be pruned by our Heavenly Father, the vinedresser or gardener. Battling daily headaches and dealing with doctors and surgeons has brought to light a number of sins that need to be removed. For the Heavenly Gardener, it wasn’t as simple as just telling me I have some issues, and then he removes them. That’s too easy and I don’t really learn anything from that experience. Instead, my Father walks with me through the pruning process so that I can see what he’s doing and learn some very valuable lessons along the way. By doing this, not only is sin challenged and eventually removed, but I am changed by the process. I walk away from this dark experience with a new outlook on life and a passion to help others and seek to change the world. Without walking through this difficult pruning process, even though it’s painful, I would not have changed and become a better person with a better outlook on life.

When our Father the Gardener prunes us through the work of the Holy Spirit, it’s not fun and it’s often very painful. But so is sin. Sin is like a cancer. It’s like the disease an unattended grape vine gets and ultimately dies from when the vinedresser neglects it. Although, if the disease is removed in time, the vine will flourish and bear fruit for generations and generations. Remember what Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. If you want to bear fruit, you have to be pruned” (emphasis mine). Don’t be afraid of the pruning process. Embrace it. Cherish it. PRAY FOR IT. Seriously, Katy and I prayed 3 years ago, when we first married, that our lives would not be EASY but memorable and filled with PURPOSE. Jesus honored that prayer and look what we’ve been through: Barely surviving seminary without any debt, moving to a new city with new jobs, to church that’s had its own share of struggles, having a child with another on the way, all the while I was battling daily headaches that resulted in brain surgery. Our Father honored our prayer by saying, “If you want purpose, you need to be ready for. I’m going to put you through some difficult times so you can be ready for the great fruit-bearing purpose that is yet to come. Although life has been really hard the past 2 years, I must say this though, I do NOT regret praying that prayer. I would not be on this adventure becoming the man of God I am today if I had prayed something else.

So my challenge for you today is this: what prayer have you held back from our Father because you’re afraid of what you might have to go through in order to bear fruit?