Growing with God

Many of us have taken care of plants at some time, whether a little succulent, a pot of herbs, a flower bed, or a field of vegetables. Some of us are more successful gardeners than others, but whether we’re good at growing plants or not, there’s a lot we can learn about our lives from gardens. In John 15:1-9, Jesus describes Himself as a vine and His followers as branches growing from that vine, with God as our gardener. Just like a branch needs to stay connected to its vine to live, it’s only by staying connected to Jesus that we experience fullness of life and thrive in all seasons. One essential part of gardening is pruning. When you prune plants, you intentionally cut off branches and leaves. It may look harmful for the plant, but in fact, it helps the plant grow better. A pruned plant is stronger, healthier, and more fruitful. Pruning shows a gardener cares for the plant, and so does God’s pruning in our lives. We all go through pruning seasons, hard times where we face challenges and experience loss. But we can find comfort and hope in knowing God our Gardener prunes with a purpose. As we abide in Jesus, God is working in us, transforming us to be the people He created us to be. As we remain in Jesus’s love, we grow in faith and love and our lives produce good fruit. • Abby Ciona • What hard things are you facing today? How might God be inviting you to rest in Jesus’s love? • While we can go through hard things that prune us, we must be careful not to equate pruning with trauma. A truly traumatic event—such as abuse—is like a tree taking an ax to the trunk. Can God use trauma in our lives? Absolutely, but it’s a different category than “pruning.” It can be helpful to remember that, no matter what we experience, God is always with us and He grieves our hurts alongside us. Through Jesus, He gently and faithfully heals all our wounds as we come to Him (Isaiah 53:2-5). If you have questions about this, who is a trusted Christian adult in your life, such as a teacher, counselor, pastor, parent, or coach you could talk to? So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)

Read Verses:

John 15:1-John 15:17; Romans 5:3-Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22-Galatians 5:23; Colossians 2:6-Colossians 2:7