Spiritual Pruning

Today was my turn to teach the lesson in Relief Society. I used the topic of spiritual pruning and contrasted it against pruning trees. I have to take a moment to say that I am so often amazed at the patterns and examples we have all around us of eternal truths. And every once in a while, I am in tune enough with the Spirit to actually see them. I wish I was more in tune more often. I know there are so many insights I could gain. It is something for me to work on. In the meantime, I am so thankful for the insights I have gained in my life. They are moments that are very special to me and that I do not forget. Those light-bulb moments where I suddenly get it. Those are treasured moments.

Ironically enough, the light-bulb on this particular topic went on for me in the middle of a blog. I was talking about how I wanted to prune the tree in the back yard because it is growing out of control and will soon take out electrical lines! I had given up the hope of getting any fruit out of it anytime soon. And I made the comment in the blog post that apparently a tree has to be pruned to produce good fruit. And I just had that moment of, "Well what do you know! The same can be said of our spiritual selves!!"

As with most lessons I have taught or talks I have given, I think it was more for me. I learned so much. I learned that there are two types of pruning. One is the type we can control. We can eliminate things from our own lives that will prevent us from bearing good fruit. We can get rid of dishonesty. We can get rid of impure actions and thoughts. We can be kinder in our speech. We can not gossip. We can discard bitter feelings of jealousy and anger. I'm not saying that these are easy tasks. Some tasks will be harder for some than for others. We all have our own trials and temptations. But ultimately, we do have the control and willpower to overcome those weaknesses. We may need help. And the Savior is always there to help us. But we can make up our minds to improve and do better. To be better with each new day. The other type of pruning, though, is the harder one -- at least for me. Because it is the one we cannot control. It is the pruning performed by a loving Heavenly Father who knows what is best for us long before we do. It is the type that makes us stronger, but only because we are put through a trial over which we have no control. One quote I shared said (concerning actual tree or vine pruning), "When a vine's main branch reaches a certain size, it is cut back by taking off the tip to force the development of side shoots. Such pruning and shaping halt the growth at the tip of the branch and send nourishment into the new branches. Then, as these side branches develop, each produces as much fruit as the single vine had produced." In comparing this to us and our spiritual development, the other said, "...even when we are living righteously, we still need the Gardener, who knows us so completely and sees beyond what we see, so that He can purge, or prune and purify, us. While at times this pruning may seem hard to bear, it is only through this process that we will become more fruitful. Our pruning comes in a variety of ways. We may develop an illness or physical limitation. We may find that our expectations are not fulfilled. We may find sorrow in relationships or experience personal loss. Yet what initially might seem to be a sad event can help us grow if it causes us to rely more on the Lord and to rethink our priorities. Such difficult experiences can make us more fruitful..."

I guess what touched me most about this is that while I was studying and preparing for this lesson, I was struggling with things beyond my control and not able to understand why. And I had people very dear to me who were also struggling with things beyond their control. It is easy to think in those moments, that we are forgotten. Unloved. Abandoned. Forsaken. I know it is easy, because I have been there. The thoughts have crept in, even when I know better. But it is so important to be reminded from time to time that I am known. I am loved. I could never be forgotten. One more quote from a book my friend Tammy lent me last March (and that I totally need to return to her...): "No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, [God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is [against] His character [to do so]. He is an unchangeable being... He will stand by us. We may pass through the fiery furnace; we may pass through deep waters; but we shall not be consumed nor overwhelmed. We shall emerge from all these trials and difficulties the better and the purer for them, if we only trust in our God and keep His commandments."

I cannot see the big picture. So often I wish I could. But I can't. I know I have felt like I've done enough of the hard stuff and I just want the easy road from here on out. But then I know I won't grow as I need to. I know that I will not bear the fruits that I have the potential of bearing. And so I will face the future with a desire to accept the things I cannot control and to see them as opportunities to grow. I may not always be successful, but I will try. And I know, because I have seen it in my past and I need to remember to have faith in it in my future, that the blessings will outweigh the hardships. I will be what my Heavenly Father and my Savior would have me be.

And while I am not standing in line for every hardship I can possibly have in this earth life, I will do my best to remember that, with new challenges, come new opportunities for growth. And also that I am never alone. It just means I'm being pruned :).