You Can’t Prune Seeds

Really? This is how you are going to leave me? Foot stuck in the whale’s blowhole wiggling like a spastic marionette? Apparently extreme discomfort is part of this lesson. Thanks for at least flipping the projection upside down for me.

I see myself compulsively scrolling through social media and the not-sure-if-it-is-really-the-news news. The world is changing and it seems like everyone is running around with a larger-than-life sharpie drawing dividing lines. I can feel Your heart breaking.

A well-meaning Christian friend sends me a call-to-arms prayer. He says we need to stand up as Christians and fight back against such-and-such legislation because it doesn’t line up with what the bible teaches. I watch as he supplies scripture after scripture lit up like flaming torches. Alarm bells of all kinds are sounding off in my head. I want to show my support for You, but is this the way to do it?

Why are you shaking me up and down? Oh, I get it. You are dislodging the crown I didn’t know I had on my head—again. Oh, and some stuff is falling out of my pockets. The crossbow of self-righteousness, the laser gun of disapproval, the dart gun of control, the pinking shears of…hey wait, that is a legit crafting tool! I am going to need that back. Maybe we forget the other things? We can just stack those in the corner, pretend you didn’t see them?

You gently remind me that the only weapon in the armor You gave us in Ephesians 6 is the sword of truth—Your Word. It is a weapon intended to point to Jesus, not make a point.

Thank goodness for imparted knowledge from the Holy Spirit. Those alarm bells were real—it was Him interceding. It is possible you have me dangling here to process this with You so I won’t do or say anything stupid. THANK YOU!

What about these pruning shears? When you talk about correcting in the bible you often use the analogy of pruning. Don’t you teach us to confess and repent to be changed to be more like You? Isn’t this what some Christians stand on when they point out inconsistencies and problems in the world?

I am released onto gooey whale tongue, the world is right-side up again. I watch the whale belly wall fade to a scrim and through it I see a giant seed the size of a whale cheek, surrounded in soil.

I hear Your audible voice—“You can’t prune seeds.”

I know it is your voice because I have no idea what You are talking about. So you explain the rest quietly in my heart as I watch the time-lapse life cycle continue through the scrim.

Pruning is for Christians— those who have signed up to be corrected and held accountable. As baby Christians we all start out as the seed—surrounded by the nutrient-rich soil of Your unconditional love. You encourage us in prayer and by reading Your Word. You coax out roots and help us push through the soil to grow under the loving gaze of Your Son. You alone do the pruning, but only when we are strong enough to endure the process. Your intention in Your loving correction is to help us thrive.

“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 15:2

You do teach us as brothers and sisters in Christ to do the iron-sharpening-iron thing, but this happens with the people we are walking with, loving, and encouraging—the people we pick up and dust off when they have fallen and who have chosen to walk this path with us.

Those who are not Christian cannot be held accountable to the bible until they make that choice to follow You. When we rail against those who have not yet made a choice, we are essentially blowing seeds off the soil. When they do choose to follow You, the way in is through Jesus and ONLY through Jesus. The process begins with soaking Him in deep in the protective soil. This is the place where healthy decisions are born, not under the burning hot sun of worldy judgement. The only way any of us can face the sinful part of our hearts that need to change is knowing Your love for us is stronger and constantly pulling that truth up through our roots.

So I can confidently leave the crossbow behind, set my phasers to stun, and check my crazed need for control at the mouth of this whale. I don’t need them, I only need You. This is a battle fought and won with love taking the lead.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for interceding on our behalf when we don’t even know what to pray—or write. Help me to wait on You more before I act and speak. Thank You God for showing us what loving correction looks like and for loving us enough to help us become more like You. Help us to follow the example of Jesus and show love to all the people you created—regardless of any lines we have to cross to embrace them.