This past week I along with several other senior pastors had the opportunity to have a half day with Henry Cloud and he shared some great insights about pruning.  Henry is not a gardener but he spoke about the importance of pruning in our lives.  Pruning may be considered a process of proactive endings.  The dictionary describes pruning as a function of cutting away to reduce the extent or reach of something by taking away unwanted or superfluous parts.

We often think of pruning as being painful but it’s actually quite necessary.  Henry presented three reasons why we need to be actively pruning in our lives:

 1.  Realize that life has seasons

The writer of Ecclesiastes eloquently made this point,

1 There is an appointed time for everything.

And there is a time for every event under heaven

2 A time to give birth and a time to die;

A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

3 A time to kill and a time to heal;

A time to tear down and a time to build up.

4 A time to weep and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn and a time to dance.

5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost;

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;

A time to be silent and a time to speak.

8 A time to love and a time to hate;

A time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

 We like the seasons of blessing but we must realize that the seasons of dormancy are a necessary part of life.

 2.  Realize that life produces too much

As we go through life we have a tendency to accumulate and without pruning we can become overwhelmed.  Areas of your life that may need pruning are too many . . .

 Relationships than you can adequately nurture

Activities that you can maintain

Strategies that you can execute

Stuff that you can keep up with

 3.  Realize that sickness and evil exists

This principle deals with accepting the reality of life.  Henry says, “Many people wish for a different universe than the one in which we live.”  Admittedly it would be great to live in a world where people were committed to loving one another but that’s not where we live.

 Max DePree said it well, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.”  The reality is there are areas in our lives that need pruning.  So here’s your CTA (call to action):  Where are you going to start pruning?