When Papa prunes me

10 May 2023 Reflection

“…while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” - John 15:2

Pruning, in horticultural terms, is the process by which there is selective removal of parts of plants such as branches, buds, or roots. The importance of pruning is to remove dying or withered parts to allow the plant more room for healthier growth.

I remembered one day my wife and I decided to plant some vegetables in our backyard. We thought that it was just a dig-in-the-soil-and-put-the-seed-in type of practice. Little did we know that it needs the intricate process of cultivating the soil, carefully planting the seeds, spacing them out evenly to prevent overcrowding, watering them religiously, applying fertilizer and pesticides if needed, and pruning the branches that have dried up. After so many trials and errors with a variety of seeds, we still have not perfected our skills, but we are slowly growing our plants. And what a sight to behold whenever new plants sprout from the soil. There is a sense of fulfillment when there is growth.

I think this is also what God feels when He sees growth in His children. He must be feeling excited and happy whenever His beloved child decides to sprout and grow in His Word. But He does not leave His child to grow on His own. God carefully takes care of His child; verse 2 of today’s Gospel says God prunes His child so that he can bear more fruit.

It is quite interesting that Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine to convey another of His ‘I AM’ discourses. But I can certainly surmise that Jesus used the symbol of a vineyard for practical and relevant reasons, as vineyards were prevalent during His time. Grapes had a very big influence in Jewish culture, hence vineyards were one of the thriving and in-demand businesses during Jesus’ time. The skills required to produce grapes and maintain vineyards is to be of top-notch quality, otherwise the plants will not produce good or even enough fruit.

“I am the Vine and you are the branches,” says the Lord. What an encouraging and hopeful imagery! I imagine myself becoming rooted and grounded in Christ, receiving all His grace and blessings, and being nourished by His love. But this is not all there is. Becoming attached to Christ also requires pruning; becoming rooted to Christ requires cleansing; becoming united with Christ requires purifying.

Jesus did not promise a pain-free, suffering-immune, perfect life. But He did promise a fulfilled, joyful, complete life, even when suffering and struggle is too much to bear.

Most of the time, I often see my struggle and suffering as seasons of punishment rather than moments of pruning. When we lost our second child, I took it as a heavy punishment for my sins. Then I slowly drifted away from my faith, believing for the longest time that I was not worthy of the Father’s love and mercy that all that was left for me was punishment and retribution from Him. Praise be to God that I was wrong in my perception! That moment of doubt and unworthiness turned out to be a moment of grace and pursuing, for God showed me that I will become a better version of myself if I experience that circumstance. He made my loss be my catalyst to gain a new relationship with Him. I found Him again through that experience. And my relationship had become so profound and deep that I even had the confidence to address Him intimately as ‘Papa.’

I have realized that when we look at the worldly perspective, all our sufferings, our pains, our hurts, and our struggles will be shown as punishments.

But if we shift our perspectives from heaven’s point of view, we will be able to see these things as opportunities for grace.

Papa continues to prune me so that I will become more fruitful. He allows me to get hurt, to suffer, to struggle, and to experience difficulty so as for me to grow and prosper.

When Papa prunes me, He shapes me towards my holiness. When Papa prunes me, He moulds me to become the same image of Him. When Papa prunes me, He invites me to remain in His love.

So how should I respond to His pruning? Do I resist or do I allow? May I always choose the latter than the former, and even if at times I try to resist, may I be reminded to look at my circumstances through God’s eyes so that I will be able to see that God only wills for my growth and abundance. Papa wants what is best for me, even if sometimes it will hurt. I will just have to trust and believe.

Dear Papa,

Blessed are You for always hearing my prayers. I praise and thank You for revealing to me Your mind and Your heart. Today I know You are pruning me yet again to come back to Your presence. I know I have wrestled enough, I have resisted enough, and I could not win by my own strength. So I yield and surrender to You once again. I am tired of doing things on my own. I am tired of my own pride and ego getting in the way. Take over, Papa, do what needs to be done. Even if it will hurt. Even if it will be uncomfortable. I will choose to trust and obey You, because I choose to remain in You. All these I ask in Brother Jesus’ name. Amen.

I know I have wrestled enough, I have resisted enough, and I could not win by my own strength. So I yield and surrender to You once again. Take over, Papa, do what needs to be done. Even if it will hurt. Even if it will be uncomfortable.