This last spring we had to dig up two big beautiful trees that were located along the south side of our house. I hated doing it. The trees were beautiful... well, to us they were. Even if one of them had lost most of the top branches, was pretty lopsided, and served as a home for quite a few different creatures. But they had to come down... they were sick and dangerous. Essentially hollow on the inside. A fertile home for insects, but in danger of toppling over during the next big storm.
When we had them taken out, we had them dig up the stump as well, leaving nothing behind. We didn't want any new growth from the stumps, no shoots sprouting up. And no roots continuing to make their way into our plumbing and under our foundation.
In Isaiah 11, it seems that God has recently had to do a little pruning of his own. It seems that God's people have once again sinned against God. They have turned away, trusted their enemies, worshipped idols. In a way, they were a tree that had become sick on the inside, dying, providing a home for all sorts of creatures that didn't belong there.
God needed to do some pruning, to cut back the dead branches. The pruning was quite drastic, right down to the stump. But... the stump did remain... and out of the stump a new shoot emerged. God cuts back the dead branches not to dig up the tree, but to allow new growth to emerge. "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse, from his roots a Branch will bear fruit." (Isaiah 11:1)
God seems to need to prune us occasionally. At times it is the nice gentle spring pruning that allows new growth to emerge. At other times, everything needs to be cut back to the stump. But still, it is a pruning... it is for the purpose of new growth.
May I embrace the pruning God might have for me this year. And may I not stray so far as to need to be cut back down to the stump. And... thank you, Lord, for always giving us second chances, for calling us to account, pruning our lives, but always allowing for new growth to emerge.
No comments:
Post a Comment