PRUNING

 PRUNING

Submitting to God is no simple journey;

It is a path lined with countless moments of pruning,

A process of shedding, refining, and letting go.

Where parts of me are carefully cut away,

Not out of cruelty, but to make room for growth.

It demands a surrender so deep,

For something better, something divine.

That even my own desires and impulses feel like strangers.

It comes with a deep, often uncomfortable self-deprivation,

A constant pulling away from the desires of my flesh,

As the Holy Spirit steps in, holding me accountable

For every thought that crosses my mind,

For every word I utter, be it gentle or sharp,

For every action I take,

And even for the moments of inaction,

Where silence speaks louder than anything I could say.

And oh, how He teaches humility!

He works humility into the fabric of my being.

A breaking down of my pride and my will,

Replaced with a quiet surrender, a softening of the heart.

Not as a mere lesson,

But as a way of life,

Teaching me to lower myself even when it aches to do so.

There are days when frustration bubbles up within me,

Days when I feel the weight of restraint.

And yes, there are times when the pruning feels unbearable.

I find myself seething with anger, even rebellious,

Angry at the things He asks me to overlook,

The slights I am told to ignore, the words I must swallow,

The situations I am not permitted to react to or even address,

To let go without so much as a whisper of defense.

I remember vividly, having this intricate plan,

A masterful strategy to handle a situation.

Every detail was carefully thought through,

Every step calculated with precision.

A way I believed was right, even righteous.

But just as I moved to act,

The Holy Spirit intervened,

Gently but firmly admonishing me,

Reminding me that my ways are not His ways,

And that even the best-laid plans must bow to His wisdom.

So, here I stand, pruned and humbled,

Stripped of my own will.

And so, I submit again,

Trusting that in this pruning, He is preparing me,

Shaping me into something that reflects His glory,

Even when I cannot yet see it.

LYLY🌷