Pruning

I have been pruning the roses. I had to cut them back more severely than ever before. The largest bush, with blooms that have graced the gate each summer for a long time, took the hardest hit. In spite of wearing a mulch "collar" through the winter, this bush lost many of its long arching canes to my shears. It is old, visibly weakening—perhaps dying slowly. There is another old bush that consists mostly of one long cane and a couple of shorter ones. It regularly produces one rose. It is beautiful—but there is only one. I've considered removing these two old bushes and replanting, but I think about Jesus' parable concerning the unfruitful tree. The owner proposed cutting it down; it was just wasting space, but the gardener said, "Let's give it another year. I'll dig around it and fertilize, and maybe it will produce next year; if it doesn't, then chop it down." (Luke 16:7-9 MSG) Maybe I'll see if they can be revitalized.

I cut away quite a lot of dry, blackened tips from the newer bushes too. We did not have a particularly harsh winter, but there were a number of warm, spring-like days and little green leaves appeared as though it were really the right time. Then came the late March ice and snow, and the new tender growth shriveled and dried. It is not vengeance that motivates me to apply the pruning shears. If the bushes can stop the effort to do damage control and pour energy into new leaves and buds, I will have abundant roses later on.

Speaking of spiritual fruit rather than flowers, Jesus said, "I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more." (John 15:1, 2 NLT) Pruning, then, is a process we should expect. The Divine Gardener is very patient and willing to give every opportunity for us to lead productive lives. At the same time, He may sometimes use the "shears" to remove what hinders growth and fruit.

I learn a lot when I work in my rose garden!

MaryMartha
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Scripture marked MSG is taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com