June 23: Pruned to Grow

Sometimes growth feels more like losing something than gaining it.

Jesus says: I am the true vine, and My Father is the farmer. Every branch in Me that doesn’t bear fruit, He takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Notice who gets pruned. Not the dead branches. Those just get removed. The fruitful ones. The branches that are already producing get cut back so they can produce even more.

If you’ve ever seen a grapevine pruned, it looks harsh. Long, healthy-looking shoots get cut down to almost nothing. It seems like a waste. But the farmer knows that without pruning, the vine spends its energy on leaves and gets very little fruit. Cutting back makes room for what matters.

Step Six can feel like that. You’ve been growing in recovery. Things are better. And now God is asking you to let Him cut away things that seem like part of you. Old ways of coping. Habits of thinking. Defenses you built over years.

That can hurt. It’s not punishment. It’s a sign that you’re a fruitful branch, and the farmer wants more for you.

The defects that get pruned aren’t always obviously bad things. Sometimes it’s a habit of busyness that keeps you from God. Sometimes it’s a relationship that pulls you backward. Sometimes it’s a way of protecting yourself that keeps people out.

Trust the farmer. He knows what He’s doing. He sees the harvest when you only see the cuts.

And remember the verses right after this. Remain in Me. Branches don’t produce fruit by straining. They produce it by staying connected to the vine.

It may help to remember that pruning happens in a particular season, and then it’s over. The cuts heal. The vine grows back stronger. What feels like loss now often looks very different at harvest time.

One thing today

Ask God in prayer: what are You pruning in me right now? Write down whatever comes. Talk about it with your sponsor this week.

A prayer

Lord, pruning hurts. I don’t always understand what You’re cutting back. But I trust You’re the farmer, and You want more fruit in my life. Keep me connected to You. Amen.

On letting God remove defects: Step Six.

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