“A Little Sappy and Pretty Pruny” by Paulette Trueb

Hi! My name is Paulette. I grew up in the church and have pretty much been a Jesus loving, church-going gal my entire life. There are so many positives that come with that blessing. (There are also some chains that we have to fight. But that is something we can talk about later.)

One of the positives about that blessing is that I know a lot of churchy stuff! Lol. I have heard a gazillion sermons. I know my Bible VERY well. So, go ahead. Toss me a subject or a question and I can probably give you a great biblical summary or answer. So it never fails to amaze me when I miss the obvious going on in my own life. (This seems to be a theme with me……….) I am not saying this to be religiously arrogant, I am saying it because, wow, I can be laughably slow sometimes.

One of those subjects is pruning or cutting back. I am constantly aware that HE is the Vine and we are the branches. I try to walk my faith out in the understanding that He also shapes, and cuts, and deals with the “extra” in our lives. I almost daily, verbally and internally make a commitment to walk in open-handed surrender to Him and how He works.

There have been obvious flashing highway signs trying to tell me just what is going on. I have been telling people, “it is as if things are just being stripped away. Like God is taking away all the extra.” Y’all think that sounds a little like pruning? Yeah… I know I can be a little slow.

According to Merriam-Webster, to prune something means to:

reduce especially by eliminating superfluous matter.
cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth.

I have heard countless sermons on this subject. Read plenty of material about it. Been through seasons of it before. But somehow just didn’t recognize it for what it is this time.

I got so focused on the pain that I couldn’t see the purpose. It is not that I had lost trust or faith. I was just confused. Perplexed as to why I had to deal with this right now. After all. Hadn’t we just started a new season He and I? Hadn’t I just euphorically bounded onto the next step He was asking me to take? Why in the world was there so much PAIN and loss in the middle of such excitement?

Here is what I noticed (you probably beat me to it) when I typed the paragraph above…. The next season….

I am NOT a gardener. I have a little skill and not enough patience. I do get better as I get older, but I still tend to go to extremes. I over or under water. I forget to fertilize or waaayyyy overdo it. Pruning? I have been known to cut a lovely shrub back to nub. (Pretty thankful here that I am not in charge of the cutting away in my own life. I am thinking I will just let the Master Gardener deal with that. He is more likely to leave me some limbs…)

But I do know that if I want my plant to keep growing and fill out into something gorgeous, I have to be willing to do some cutting. In some cases, if I want them to keep growing, I literally have to cut before flowering occurs so that they do not begin to die. What might seem pretty, can at times, actually be signs of imminent death. No matter what, there are steps to be taken from season to season to ensure growth and protection.

When I finally had the word to define what I was going through, my attitude shifted. I started thinking about the implications. The literal…. My eyes have been a little leaky lately. Not full out weeping, just a little too quick to tear up. So compare those tears with the process of pruning and what do you get? Sap. Yeah….. I know I am a little (or a lot) sappy.

There are two definitions when you look up the word sap:

Noun

1.The fluid, chiefly water with dissolved sugars and mineral salts, that circulate in the vascular system of a plant.

Verb

2. Gradually weaken or destroy (a person’s strength or power.)

My first thought was that tears and sap might as well be interchangeable. (Y’all just let me have this one for the sake of argument, ok?)

When you Google info for sap you find some interesting (for me) info. Statements like, “sap can heal tree wounds naturally.” Or questions like, “how long will it take for the sap to stop flowing?”

As far as I am concerned, tears and sap flow in very similar ways. They flow from the wounding. From the cut. They come when there is pain. They are signs of a very healthy process, and completely necessary for healing.

I don’t know what season you are in. But if you are getting ready to move from one season to another, be for-warned. There is a high likelihood that even in your joy, there will be pain. In your blessing, there will be loss. To keep growing, to stay healthy as you move forward, you have to lose what is slowing you down. Sometimes it is even the pretty flowers that were beautifully killing you.

What can you do? You can surrender. You can allow it. You can give Him permission to do what needs to be done. And when it starts happening, stay humble. Stay soft. Offer all of you to Him. He will only take what is needed. And though it may be painful (sometimes excruciatingly so), you will be better. You will be stronger. You will be wiser. You will be lovely…….

 

About the Author ~ Paulette Trueb

Paulette has spent most of her life in the Huntsville area. She has two children and runs a small business. Her passion is for words. Specifically HIS words, and making them real and alive to others. Her heart’s desire is to show others that hearing HIS voice isn’t so very difficult. And showing them that the seeds and desires that He has planted in their hearts were placed there very carefully by the One that loves us most.

 

 

Tags: A Little Sappy and Pretty Pruny, Pain, Paulette Trueb, Pruning, Seasons, Soul Food, Tears