I am still surprised when driving to familiar places, when walking over the land and when on back roads.
Our landscape has changed.
As it regrows, heals and is cleaned up, our landscape will continue to change. The wounds of the ice storm will leave scars, even though grass, new plants and new trees may cover them.
I love to wake up and spend some time drinking my morning coffee and looking out the window at my flower garden (whether dormant or blooming), the bird feeders, the little pond and the trees within my sight.
No matter the season, the home view is beautiful to me. Trees change, different plants grow and bloom, birds come and go, and our flocks of chickens, ducks or geese wander through looking for tasty treats.
Then the ice storm and dangerously low temps came, stayed a while and left their marks. Now there are empty spaces where cedar trees grew and softened the bare tree line with green.
Jagged tree tops rise, rough and raw. Wild tangles of branches block paths and downed limbs, heavy and long, reach across the pond edges.
Some trees are so damaged, they will have to be thinned out and cut down. Heavy branches will have to pulled out with the tractor and cut in pieces.
A tree on the edge of the garden was damaged and fell across the fence, pulling it down and damaging it. The tree had to be cut down and cut up and the branches moved.
What happened?
Now, more sunlight! The raised beds feel the warmth of the sun, and what Gary can grow will change for the better. Hopefully, the beds will produce more and better vegetables for our table.
The woody areas are now less dense. Again, more sunlight for the hardy Althea and redbuds. Our smaller blooming plants will thrive, we hope, and other plants can be added now that the amount of sun has changed.
Smaller cedar trees that were growing underneath the other larger trees will have a chance to grow and fill in. Gary will replant where he wants to bring in new trees, shrubs or flowers. He can enlarge the garden.
Good can come from the damage. Damage can heal and produce positive outcomes.
If we think about our lives and our spiritual experiences with God, we see that the Bible refers to cutting branches that do not produce, pruning, planting, reaping and growing.
John 15:2 says, “He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”
“Pruning” may be painful to us in the short term, but the process results in more fruit!
Pray about your life; are you bearing spiritual fruit?
What needs to be pruned back, or removed, from your daily routines, habits and ways you spend your energy?
Are you praying for God to get you ready to produce more fruit?
