I neglected my rose garden this winter. I didn't mean to, but I used the rains and life's busyness as an excuse and never got around to pruning. The bushes didn't complain. They never called me or drew attention to themselves as I passed by. It never occurred to me that something was wrong. With their normal hardiness, the plants completed their usual dormant period and headed into spring. Long twisted tendrils mixed with old dead growth. Wild shapes replaced cultivated. Old stalks widened and put out large sharp thorns. Still, I didn't notice.

The rains continued about once a week through the end of May and so did the new growth. The bushes put out flowers. I didn't deadhead the old flower remains or thin the new buds. The blossoms were enjoyable even if the bushes were gangly and unkempt. Then last week, several days of warm sunny weather in a row drew me outside to investigate the effects of the long winter's frost and rain. 

What I found in the rose garden filled me with sadness. Insects and disease had invaded the bushes. Spider mites, rust, and black spot covered the leaves. Many of the bushes had already begun to drop leaves and looked bare around the bottoms. Immediate attention was required.

But when I pushed through the dense foliage to administer systemic, the bushes fought back. Thorns tore into my hair and skin. The thick growth shoved me back as if it could keep me out. These bushes did not want to get well. I had to radically prune them so I could pour in the systemic they so desperately needed for vitality.

As I hacked through thick dry stems and green shoots, I thought how like me these bushes are. When it comes to pruning, I want God to leave me alone. I want "freedom" to do my own thing--to grow my own wild tendrils and twisted stems. Pruning hurts. But God, in His great mercy, wants me to be the best and most beautiful bush possible--the bush He created me to be, full of large fragrant blossoms and healthy green leaves. Shaped by a loving Father. So when there is willfulness, sin, wrong thinking, or pride, He must prune those things out of me. This cutting away is not pleasant while it's happening. I imagine it hurts God to do it. He loves me so. But that is precisely the reason He must discipline me. It is love that compels Him to discipline. Proverbs 3:11 puts it like this: "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in."

Jesus told His disciples that fruitful branches must be pruned to promote growth. God disciplines us to strengthen our character and faith. John 15: 1-2, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." Rejoice when discipline comes from the Father. Although we cannot see the future beauty He is creating, we can trust Him to know the most effective gardening techniques to fully bring forth His glorious plan.