WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW?

Three months ago I started my very first garden. It's been a hard and tremulous task, but I'm doing it. With my husband beside me, we built, dug, and planted a raised garden and it took lots of time and will power. We began watering our plants daily and loved on them endlessly, but I quickly noticed that's not all that comes with gardening. If I want this produce to grow, I have to prune...a lot. Pruning seemed like the strangest step, you mean I have to take perfect leaves or flowers and cut them off so that this plant will continue to grow? Insane! But I did all my research (tik tok videos and blogs) and learned I truly had to get my sheers to the plant for it to grow. With watery eyes I did it, I had such fear that I just ruined the plant I worked so hard to prepare, but I had to right? Yes, yes I did.

Low and behold, give it a couple days, bloom appeared and because of the blooms, vegetables appeared next. Because of this, I finally got my first harvest, small it might be, but a harvest none the lest. Pruning did it. I got rid of the beautiful leaves, the fresh green, energetic leaves, and my blooms happened. Why thought? Little did I know, they were draining my plant, little leaf at a time. These beautiful things, were taking away from something so much more beautiful. Now I'm wondering, is that what God is doing in my life?

I would never count my losses as "prunes". Never in my life time will I look at this time and think that those losses had to happen for story to continue, I would have loved God all the more with them still here. However, I do see that even from the loss of that beauty, God's glory will bloom in full. In all truth, my plants still would have bloomed without the pruning, however, it happened more swiftly and quickly because of it. I think there are times God will prune us in our lives, and it will undoubtedly be painful, but at the same time, He will be glorified because of it. To grow we must be pruned, to continue to bare fruit we must be harvested, and to be a light we must be watered. All of these are needed, and thankfully we have a Father who does all of the dutifully.

So, how will this help me?

It may not for some time, and that's okay. Thankfully, there's grace in healing. I just pray there is a time you'll be able to reflect on this post and see you're not alone. Not just because you have a healing human on this earth with you, with the same struggles, but because there is a God aching to hold you in this moment. God loves you, you are His child. Not only does He love you so much He wants to protect you in this time of hurt, but He sent His son, Jesus here to save us from eternal pain and suffering. Because of faith in Jesus, we have hope we will have eternal life with the Father and we will all rejoice in Heaven together. We will be whole, grateful, and loved.

You're not alone.

Sarah Beth Holder