How (and why) God prunes us
2018년 4월 28일If you have a grapevine and want sweet, edible grapes, you have to prune the vine every spring. If you don’t cut back the long branches, not only will they grow out of control, but the grapes will be small and inedibly sour. So as painful as it might be, branches have to be sacrificed.
God prunes us as well. Whenever we fail, suffer a setback or loss, it seems painful at the time, but this is God’s way of preparing us for sweeter things than we had hoped for or imagined. For years I thought I wanted to be a Franciscan friar. But after I applied and took tests and went on vocation retreats, to my shock, sorrow and surprise, they didn’t accept me. Rejection is always painful. How much more if we think God is the one rejecting us.
Ah, but God had better plans for me. I joined the Peace Corps and taught English in Korea. There I ran into a Maryknoll missioner and felt perhaps God wanted me to become one as well. I applied and this time I was accepted. Looking back, I can say it was because God pruned me with rejection that today I am with all of you here at St. Paul’s.
Trust in God to do what is best for you. You may lose a job or a family member or flunk a class or not get accepted into your first choice of college, but this will all turn out for the best. As St. Paul “All things work together for good for those who love God…”