The first major chore today was outside work. And I didn’t do it. I spent over an hour this morning sipping coffee and watching tree trimmers dispatch ungainly branches, trim off dead wood, letting sunshine spill onto grass and plants that had been withering in the shade for over a year.
Why was tree trimming the first job? Basically for their health, our safety and aesthetics. Routine pruning maintains a tree’s structure, form, health and appearance – and minimizes the chance big limbs will make untimely visits on our windshields, roof, or heads. So I watched, fascinated as the trimmers scaled trees and our roof, snipping, sawing, and pruning methodically, without hesitation. The more they cut, the fresher the morning breeze felt, the more glistening the light. And the taller and wider the pile of yard waste grew – pruning one live oak, four Bradford pears and an equal number of crepe myrtles made a prickly pile, roughly 4×5 x3feet.
This morning was visual aid – reminding me the Holy Spirit means to climb all over my heart, more deftly than those trimmers, cutting out the excess, the overgrown and the dangerous “branches.” The timing of this aid was not lost on me, because I scooted out of our home with no prayer, thought, or Bible study.
If I won’t read, I get pictures!
Christ said I need pruning – spiritually – to bear fruit. And it’s not something I can do myself. Without it, I get overgrown with stuff that affects how I look and act and feel – sometimes making me a hazard as unpredictable and barren as an heavily laden limb. When He finishes, there is always rubbish, bundled neatly for disposal. Again – not by me. But I am healthier – safer to be around – and maybe a wee bit better -looking witness.
Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight?~ ( Psalm 139:7 from THE MESSAGE: )