Nougat 16

Although not a gardener, I have a few plants under my care. Back in the days, the only plants that flourished in my space were those on the outside, which were really the responsibility of a gardener who came and tended to them. My thumb was so brown that almost everything in the soil was dead or dying.

Thankfully, my mother came to the plants’ rescue. She spoke to me about pruning the plants. That involved removing dry, dead leaves and ensuring that the plant was not overcrowded. Since then, I’ve heard and read Today’s Holy Nougat somewhat differently, as previously, I didn’t ‘get’ it.

John 15:2 ASV

[2] Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit.

Branch Care

For my mom and other plant lovers with green thumbs, everything comes to life under their care. They don’t just pour water on the plants, they would check the soil to see how dry or moist it was, they’d determine whether to separate the seedlings for repotting, and they knew how and when to circumpose plants.

Where there were dry, dead leaves or twigs, they also intervened. They would remove the dry leaves that hadn’t fallen off the trees naturally, and occasionally, they trimmed parts of leaves to prevent the same. Of course, this process was also applied to the flowers. For, when the flower had faded, keeping it on the plant reduced available nutrients going to other parts of the plant.

I presume that the same holds true for dry branches. It prevents all the plant’s energy from being focused on reviving that which is already dead. Removing the dead branches, as Progressive Tree Service suggests on its website, offers the tree a chance for rejuvenation, directs nutrients to healthy branches, and reduces its vulnerability to pests and disease. So dead, dry branches, if not removed, could compromise a tree’s health. Moreover, they are the first casualties in bad weather, becoming potential missiles, and a danger to unsuspecting persons.

The more critical question for us then is not the process of pruning or deadheading, but why do particular branches go dry. The first reason given by Progressive is limited access to sunlight. I’m SURE that immediately struck a chord with you as it did to me. Siblings, if we are branches of the vine, then the number one reason we go from fired up for Christ, to lukewarm and dead, is a lack of Son-light!

This isn’t about absence makes the heart fonder. This is more along the lines of absence makes the believer falter! We know that our Saviour is extremely intentional about keeping us connected, but this is a two-way connection. Remember Judas? Y’shua included him among the Twelve, but somewhere, somehow, he lost his way. The result was that he sold Y’shua out. When he realized he’d made a mistake, he cut himself off.

But the story doesn’t have to end there. We don’t have to become dry and dead. For He Who is our Son-light is also Living Water, and our True Vine. When we abide in Him, yet shall we live. When we find ourselves removed from the light of God’s only begotten Son, one cry – one prayer – can bring us back. Let’s not yield to the lies from the enemy of our souls. With repentance, we can once again bask in God’s Son- light.

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May all we seek be found in Christ