Pruning

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." John 15:2

Sometimes God prunes people and opportunities from our lives for the best. I know, it’s not easy. I have spent many nights crying because the people I wanted to be friends with, the tests I wanted to pass, and the healing I’ve been begging to receive never came. I said so many prayers asking for things to go my way instead of asking for things to go His way. We say, “ Your will be done” but do we actually mean that? And when He gives us what we wanted to we ever take time to truly sit down and thank Him? I think that even when things aren’t going our way God still deserves the glory. Yes, it’s easier said than done. I’ve been to that place many times. Yet who do you think is stronger? The one who curses God when things don’t go well, or the one who says he still loves God? No matter what happens we should always choose to love God. We see in the book of John that “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit,” John‬ ‭15:2‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬. What may be taken away from us may save us from the heartache and devastation that may be too much for us to handle. We don’t know God’s ways, yet we know His ways are higher. I’m still in a dark valley and I will admit, seeing the light is difficult sometimes. Yet deep inside I know there is still a light even if I can’t see it. And even though I don’t know why all these bad things are happening to me, I do know this. His ways are higher, His thoughts are for me not against me, and even when I don’t see the sun, I know it’s still there. “I believe in the sun even when it is not shining And I believe in love, even when there’s no one there. And I believe in God, even when He is silent. I believe through any trial, there is always a way But sometimes in this suffering and hopeless despair My heart cries for shelter, to know someone’s there But a voice rises within me, saying hold on my child, I’ll give you strength, I’ll give you hope. Just stay a little while. I believe in the sun even when it is not shining And I believe in love even when there’s no one there But I believe in God even when he is silent I believe through any trial there is always a way. May there someday be sunshine May there someday be happiness May there someday be love May there someday be peace….” Name unknown (written during WW2, on the wall of a cellar, by a Jew in the Cologne concentration camp)