Last night, I sat silently on my porch steps pondering life. A slight breeze swept through the loose strands of a messy knot piled high on my head and a chorus from everything living sang with sweet lullabies to my soul.
The peace of it all captured my thoughts as I marveled at the breathtaking livelihood of life.
It is Spring and technically a time of new growth, yet there in the boughs of towering tree was a lifeless limb caught up in it’s spindly vines.
It’s likely a storm had severed this part. The tangled timber was more of a stick now… the color had drained from its bark, but the branches weren’t ready to let go.
Isn’t that just like life sometimes?
A storm sweeps through, devastating our status or symbol of life. The winds snap off a chapter, but our arms cling to the kindling because we fear letting go.
When a field stops producing fruit, we have to accept what has refused to come back to life; we have to let it go.
Disappointment. Divorce. Death.
With a very tender heart and deep compassion, I offer only a trail of my own tears when I whisper these words to you.
Our mind likes to circle a barren crop, hoping a seed will magically produce by staring at it long enough, when we need to cut it down, pile it up, and let it burn.
As tears sizzle over the embers.
True, God sometimes chooses to resurrect something that has died.
And other times He wants us to call it what it is – dead – and let it go, knowing that He is good. And He is for us.
We’re reminded in the book of John that God prunes branches that bear no fruit so that they will sprout more. And what does not yield produce over time is “thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and are burned up.” – John 15:6
Life is about growth.
God is all about the fruit.
You can huff and puff, but trying to resuscitate what’s not coming back to life just leaves you out of breath.
Sift the seeds of your life through the threshing floor of Christ to separate the dead from the living.
Don’t overlook the wholesome hindrances that have overstayed their season; sometimes these are the hardest to let go of because they are easier to rationalize. They’re not wrong; they’re just not right, right now.
Perhaps our ego may need to be shown the exit door first.
What doesn’t reap a harvest, what fails to resurrect in the sunshine and showers, finally needs to go.
That doesn’t mean you forget.
Some things are too sensitive or significant to let slip from memory.
These words are woven with empathy when I say, if it is gone, let it go. If it is possible to move the reminder from your sight where it has become a monument to your sadness and loss, pile it up and carry it off.
His wings will shelter you in the shadows and keep your sacred heart safe in the storm. He does not leave a life empty.
He will either restore the sterile or plant something brand-new. Know with all your faith that a fresh seed will sprout soon. Hold on to your expectation that it will be more than you can imagine.
His promise is to fertilize a flourishing future for you. He nurtures and cultivates the soil with great care and comfort.
Give it space. Sunshine. Water it with your tears if you must. And you will surely live to see His faithfulness sprout out of the seasoned soil.
Our breaths are too brief to spend another inhale grieving what could have been. Release your fears. You are stronger than you think.
Stretch out your arms and don’t let the storms scare you from pain.
Let go of what is broken and trust, for it is to your Father’s glory that you bear much fruit.
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:3
This was wonderful and spoke to me in so many different aspects. God is good and he is for us. Let it go. Move forward and don’t look back. He produces the fruit if we allow him to. Seeds of life grow from being watered and held delicately until full boom. We are to embrace the gifts we have been given only to help others and in return help ourselves. Keep up the great inspiration.
Lisa
Great takeaways, Lisa! I find I often get hung up on the regrets and it prevents me from moving forward. I can’t change what’s been done. I can only learn from it and keep moving forward. Thank you for taking time to take this in, Girl!