Summer in the south is something beautiful to behold. A common tree around this area is the Crepe Myrtle. Purple, pink, white and fuscia color the streetways. I come from the north where flowering trees only happens in the spring. So I’m tickled that we kind of get to enjoy spring for two seasons. But along with that comes the beetles. They cloak our Crepe Myrtle. Turning leaves into lace. And speckling darkness throughout. Determined to enjoy the trees beauty before the beetles destroy it I went out with heavy scissors. I shook the tree branches trying to release the beauty killers. Next the water hose assisted. Alas, I took the scissors to the flowered branches and cut five clusters off. Each section was still housing a good number of beetles. I had to take the scissors to the beetles to brush them off. They were tough. They clung to the flowers. So as I knocked them off bits of flower were removed as well.
Is that not how God prunes us? Aren’t we something beautiful that He has created only to be attacked by darkness? As we go through our dark times our beauty will surely be destroyed – eaten through. But if we will allow the Lord to prune us we can surely bring glory to His name.
The pruning process is difficult and painful. So many times I strive only to fall back to the easy {and harmful} ways of the world. The excuses flow.
“But this is who I am…”
“Why should I change? I didn’t do anything wrong…”
“But it’s funny…”
“This is how I was raised…”
“Well I’m not as bad as so-and-so…”
Walk away from the excuses. Allow the pruning process to hurt and eagerly anticipate the change that’s taking place within.
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11
Blessings!
