“Pruning feels painful, but it’s not punishment. That’s difficult to accept. We tend to think that anything painful that happens against our will is punishment. The dilemma, then, is that if we see pruning and refinement as punishment, we will resist it at all costs. Instead of receiving it, we will resist it and rebel against it.”- Kyle Idleman
As Kyle Idleman moves on in Chapter 9 of When Your Way Isn’t Working, he talks about the need to prune healthy branches connected to the vine and bearing fruit. Matthiasson Winery, a high-quality wine producer in the Napa region, explains in a post on their website:
“Why do we prune? Because if the vines is not pruned it reverts very quickly to its wild nature, climbing everywhere with its long sinewy trunk and tiny scraggly bunches of uneven grapes. Every year we need to assess the growth of the vines . . .”
Therefore, the winery prunes with a purpose. Certainly, Pastor Idleman notes, pruning sounds negative and painful. And most of us, Kyle notes, tolerate the little cuts. In parts of our lives where we barely notice those cuts. However, that method isn’t the most effective way to promote fruitfulness. Thus, we feel pain when God chops a big chunk of what we love or were looking forward to.
So, John 15 and the pruning process teach us that painful thins are not always punishment. When God removes cherished pieces of our lives or cuts away our plans, it may simply demonstrate God’s great ability at pruning.
In conclusion, Pastor Idleman states, this raises two logical questions:
- If pruning isn’t punishment, what is it?
- What’s the point of pruning; what is God’s purpose in it?
Certainly, pain results when something you care about gets cut from your life. But then a different picture begins to emerge.
Today’s question: Do you tend to see pruning as painful or punishment? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A spiritual defibrillator”