By Rae Lynn DeAngelis
Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener” (John 15:1).
We were going to replace the diseased weeping cherry tree in our front landscaping bed that was removed, but as so often happens, time got away from us and we left the space empty.
Then one day I noticed a small burgundy colored bush beginning to take shape where the tree used to be. It was growing all on its own. And since it was such a beautiful color, we let it stay.
Over the course of the next few years, the once small bush got bigger and fuller. It even produced little flowers in the spring. The bush was lovely at first. But after a while, it started intruding on some of the other plants in our landscaping. It was definitely time to prune it back.
As my husband and I began trimming, we noticed the bush was covered with thorns. They kept poking us every time we tried to cut away one of the branches. (I started the project wearing flip flops but immediately changed over to tennis shoes because the thorns on the ground kept puncturing my foot.)
That whole experience reminds me of my battle with an eating disorder. Like that bush, I allowed bulimia to take root, ignoring the fact that it was taking over my life. At first, I thought the bulimia was helping me. After all, I was finally able to achieve a body size that was in line with what the medical charts recommended. Not only did I lose weight through my disordered behavior, I was able to keep it off too. Everyone complimented me on how great I looked. I finally felt accepted and loved.
Unfortunately, like that thornbush in our yard, eventually my eating disorder behavior grew out of control and took over my life. I was in bondage to the number on the scale. I counted fat grams and calories. After a while, it felt like everything I ate needed to be purged. I began withdrawing from others and went to great lengths to hide my disordered eating secret. By the time I finally addressed the problem (two and a half decades later), my eating disorder was both challenging and painful to remove.
God took me on an amazing healing journey and pruned away all those toxic thoughts and destructive behaviors that had kept me in bondage. It was a painful process at first but so very worth it in the end. Every lie God pruned from my life was replaced with the truth of His Word. Seeds of truth were planted and watered until they were deeply rooted in my heart. He taught me that what’s on the outside is not nearly as important as what’s on the inside.
“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart'” (1 Samuel 16:7).
God has taught me over the years that when I allow Him to cut away the things in my life that have become gnarly and out of control, the subsequent growth that takes place is beautiful. The new growth that takes place is life-giving. I produce fruit, not thorns, fruit that lasts and never spoils, fruit that not only nourishes, but is used to nurture the growth in others as well.
What about you? Are there some areas of your life that need to be trimmed away by God? Don’t ignore the Spirit’s prompting any longer.
“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. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:1-4).
