Here I go again with another “as I was driving along” story. It appears that I get more than I realized out of those mindless errands. And now life has revealed a sequel to one of these stories.
Flash back in time...several years ago when I was hastily driving through town on a frantic mission to somewhere, I found myself greatly delayed by a landscaping truck moving at a snails pace in front of me. Feeling frustrated and put-out by this road-hog, I suddenly noticed that the truck was so overloaded with lush green tree cuttings that it was hardly visible. Then as I zeroed in on the back of the truck I saw the oddest sight; standing like a tin soldier, pointed toward heaven was a ladder in the middle of the back of the truck.
In that moment I realized that in my flourishing and hurried state, I too was being trimmed back like those ample tree cuttings. I empathized with those lush boughs of green that were trimmed back for a greater purpose.
No one likes to be pruned back, but any gardener knows that in a short time pruning can produce a substantial increase in the amount of fruit that's yielded. Pruning in our own lives can also cause us to arrive at a higher place than where we were before we were cut back.
This week as I was driving along, again I found myself having to slow down because a landscaping truck was in front of me. However, this time the truck was not piled high with tree limbs, it carried only landscaping equipment. As it quickly veered off my route, it occurred to me that there are many who like those green boughs have previously been through seasons of pruning and are now entering into fruitfulness. This is a season of a great harvest. Its time to reap a bounty of fruit!
Let me ask you, have you been through an intense season where everything seems hacked and cut away from your life? Barely bandaged, broken and barren, you somehow have managed to embrace life with wobbly fingers. Pruning is for a season, but what follows is reaping, if you use the time wisely and look for opportunity amidst the obstacle.
I challenge you to look with new eyes at the ladder that may be standing right in front of you, leading to a higher place than you've been before. Cutting off the old is necessary so that something new can emerge. That means if you continue to operate at the level you did last season, you will find it no longer works, or serves your life. Staying stuck in regret over the past will keep you adhered to it, while embracing change will propel you forward into future growth and potential reaping.
Look around and observe. What are the new sights, new perspectives, and new growth standing before you? This could be your season of bounty!
