How Wonderful it is to be Pruned!

I remember standing in a church in Guatemala City, in front of rows of children, their huge brown eyes on me. A few days earlier, the teaching team had prepared the Bible lesson that I was now teaching, and I was telling these children the same thing God put on my heart as we studied the stories and prayed: before He heals your circumstance, He wants to heal your heart.

"I am the true Vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. " John 15:1-2

My circumstance: I have a lot of money to raise.

The reality: There is an infinite God that is more worried about my heart than about human currency.

You see, when a heart is healed/ a branch is pruned, it is for it's own benefit. Although the branch may be uncomfortable at the time due to shaving and cutting away at the dead areas, the results are astounding. The pruning of a branch allows it to become healthier, stronger, and more alive. Pruning allows growth, and branches are often pruned so that they can better bask in the Sun - the life source of the branch.

As I mentioned in my last blog, the past few months have been the most challenging of my life by far. But I thank God that it is all part of the pruning process, and my prayer is that He continues to strip away all of the dead branches of pride, a sharpe tongue, entitlement, and doubt.

Last week I camped at MBC (Muskoka Bible Centre) and I met some amazing people who God used to encouraged me so greatly. I watched the staff work hard to minister to the youth every morning, and it was such a great reminder that God has put in me a heart for youth ministry. Jesus, continue to prune this branch so that it will be fruitful. Then I met Marvin. My dad had gone to Canadian tire to get some supplies when he bumped into Marvin. They got chatting and Marvin mentioned that he was born in Guatemala, and my dad immediately knew that Marvin and I had to meet!

Marvin and I sat and talked for almost two hours about his own incredible ministry that he does in Honduras and Guatemala, what I'll be doing while I'm there, as well as the great needs and beauty of Guatemalans. Marvin is one of those rare people whose life so wholly reflects Christ and what He asks of us, and I had the honour of being able to talk, discuss, and be encouraged by this amazing man. God used Marvin to put the burning back in my heart for the dear people of Guatemala. Jesus, continue to prune this branch so that it will be fruitful.

I pray that He continues to heal my heart, because He is the one who created the circumstance. So instead of worrying about the circumstance, I choose to look at Him and give myself over to be pruned. And how wonderful it is to be pruned!

#John15 #MBC #MuskokaBibleCentre #fruitbearing