I take a quick walk in the garden this morning, while the rains had temporarily stopped. I walk with cup and clippers in hand. As I walk, I sip and snip. I think more deeply of the task at hand.
In garden language, the task of dead-heading is when dead flowers are removed from a plant. The task should be gentle in that the dead flower and a small part of the stem, typically the dead part, is snipped off the plant. The flower that was once full of color and life has lived its cycle, and is now encouraged to be removed from the plant. The process encourages the plant to produce more blossoms.
As I dead-headed a couple of rose bushes and some calendula, I thought of how often we hang on to those things that are dead, not realizing that we are stunting our growth. How beneficial to us to periodically walk through our souls and sip and snip.
We remember, yes we fondly remember the flower that bloomed. It was colorful, it was beautiful, it was fragrant, it was at one time full of life. But, its cycle has ended, and now it dies. We hang onto it because of the memory of it. It was good at one time, it provided purpose at one time, it provided benefit at one time. The end of its cycle has come, and now it serves as a painful eye sore of what used to be.
We think it awful to snip it away because of its vibrant history. We pain ourselves needlessly. For, if the things that are dead are removed, it will allow for the production of more flowers. Dead things attached absorb life and energy from those things seeking to come to life, those new things that HE is about to do.
Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19 AMPC)
The added beauty in all this is that the plant still lives. The plant and the root are still full of vitality and life. There is no need to uproot the plant, for it is not dead. We just snip away the flower or fruit that once lived, so that we can bear more fruit, more flowers, more blooms.
…”He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.” John 15:2b
When we prune and allow HIM to prune, it makes way for more fruit, and eventually much fruit if we stay the course.
So join me friends, as we sip and snip!