Pruning Precedes Flourishing

by Connie Armerding

I grew up in a home with silk plants.

There weren’t a lot of them, but there were enough—enough to cause me to never want any of my own. In my adult commitment to live greenery, I’ve realized maintaining these living things is a bit harder than I thought. Regardless, I couldn’t pass up a perfectly-priced fiddle leaf fig tree I found at Costco last January.

I had the perfect spot to showcase my beautiful tree; the corner of my living room with floor-to-ceiling windows. She was happy and thriving, at least for a while—until the brown spots started to show up.

Oddly enough, the tree was growing and producing new leaves while brown spots began to overtake some of the older ones. I knew I should be concerned, but was confused about what to do. So I wondered and I worried and I did nothing. In August, a friend of mine came to town for a visit before the close of summer. She is the thoughtful and thorough type who shared my disdain for silk plants, but didn’t share my uncertainty with how to treat Ms. Fiddle Leaf. “I know how to deal with those,” she offered, and proceeded to tell me that she has a “plant guy” who comes to make house calls to help instruct her on caring for tropical plants.

“Of course you have a plant guy,” I retorted.

Nonetheless, I gladly received the wisdom she gleaned from this plant expert, and we spent the afternoon lopping off leaves and trimming back others, helping to reshape and strengthen my tree by eradicating the brown spots. Albeit a bit lopsided, my tree was looking greener than it had in months.

Philippians 1:5 tells us that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. We can trust that God is about the business of making something beautiful out of our lives.

Our job is to trust Him with the process.

Where is the evidence of new life? Pay attention to the proof of new life, health, and growth. That is an indicator of God at work. He is the source of life, and when we remain rooted in Him, we flourish. Let’s be women and men who thrive until the end, which means we must embrace the pruning when it comes.

“…Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green.” Psalm 92:13-14 (NIV)

Connie Armerding

is a writer, speaker and storyteller. She tells stories of her ordinary life to reveal the hope waiting to be realized in everyday moments. Connie is the Content Developer and Curriculum Writer/Editor for JOI Friendzy, a social emotional learning curriculum for K-8 students that is being used in schools across the nation. This curriculum teaches the foundations for establishing strong friendships to help combat the social isolation that is a growing epidemic in the youth in our nation. Connie is married to her best friend and husband, Taylor, and they reside in Lake Oswego, Oregon with their four lively children. More of Connie’s work can be found at TRUTH + LOVE.