MASTER GARDNER

"Most of you know I am not much of a gardener. My last name may be 'greene' but I surely don't have a green thumb. My mother on the other hand loved to work in the yard. She enjoyed cutting grass, planting flowers, picking vegetables from the garden. Recently as we drove through the spring layden streets she pointed out the azaleas, tulips, wisteria,etc totally for my benefit and education. When we came upon a hedge that had been severely pruned, I said that looks like what you did at our house one time! And she laughed wholeheartedly as I recalled her chopping to the ground the topiary wall behind which I sun bathed during my high school days. With this wall 'permanently pruned' I feared being spotted from Highway 74! Mother tried in vain to explain to a self-centered 16 year old the benefits of severely pruning branches. She believed the bushes would bear fruit again because they had good roots. As the master gardener, she pruned purposely so there would be abundant foliage next summer. For there to be growth there must be loss as well. In our spiritual lives, we often experience bareness and drained souls. We sometimes feel disconnected and useless, but we may trust God to provide for us again. He is there in times of pruning as well as when we bloom. John 15:2-4 explains the process mother carried out in our yard that day. Thanks be to God for our creator, my mother and our drive that caused me to remember that valuable lesson found in scripture. I want a faith that trusts in God's word more than my own thoughts or the opinions of others. --beckygreene"