God’s Pruning: Painful but Purposeful

How much of your life do you really control? Maybe you take pride in your ability to plan, organize, and make things happen. I admit, I love it when my plans unfold perfectly. As someone wired administratively, I find great satisfaction in seeing the details come together.

But God often reminds me that His plan is always better. Before retirement, I frequently coordinated multiple women’s training events at the same time. More than once, my “perfect” plans unraveled. Sound system fails. Trainers get sick on site and can’t teach. Flights get cancelled. 

During one West Coast event, an ice storm caused the coordinator to have an accident, and our shipment of materials never arrived. After my initial panic, I finally surrendered the situation to the Lord—and it turned out to be one of the sweetest, simplest events we ever held.

In John 15:1–6, Jesus describes Himself as the True Vine and His followers as the branches. God, the gardener, prunes us so we can bear more fruit. Pruning is rarely comfortable—it can involve loss, disappointment, or change—but it’s an act of love that leads to greater growth. Interestingly, the phrase “cut off” can also mean “lift up,” as when a gardener lifts low-hanging vines so they can grow stronger and healthier.

Likewise, God may need to remove or realign parts of our lives—habits, attitudes, or even good things that distract us from Him. When we abide in the True Vine, we find peace in His care and strength in His timing, even when it doesn’t match our own.

Presbyterian leader Robert Speer once said…

Full surrender means trusting Him with everything—our dreams, our failures, and our daily decisions. All for His glory so we can reproduce His fruit as we touch the lives of others.

What might God be pruning in your life today to produce more lasting, beautiful fruit?

Banner photo by Árpád Czapp on Unsplash