Pruning for Growth

Well, hello, my valued listeners, and welcome back to another episode of Living in Your Power. I'm your host, Dr. Marlene Greenleaf, and as always, I am truly grateful that you have chosen to spend this time with me today. Now, as we continue our June series, Freedom to Flourish, Growing into what God has planted. We're exploring another important part of growth today, one that many of us don't naturally embrace, because while we all enjoy the idea of flourishing, few of us enjoy the process that often precedes it. And today's episode, the second in our June series, It's entitled Pruning for Growth. Now, when we think about growth, we often think about addition, like more opportunities, more success, more visibility, more blessings. But sometimes growth happens through subtraction. Sometimes growth requires letting go. Letting go of habits that no longer serve us. Letting go of relationships that have run their course. Letting go of old beliefs that keep us small. And sometimes, if we're being honest, letting go can feel like loss. Especially when we've grown attached To what we're being asked to release. I mean, we may know something isn't serving us anymore, and we may recognize it's time for a change, yet part of us still wants to hold on. Why? Because familiar, even when it's uncomfortable, can feel safer than the unknown. Now, John 15:2, the King James Version, it says, every branch in me that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth fruit. Now, I find that scripture fascinating. I mean, notice that the branch being pruned is already bearing fruit. It's already producing. It's already growing. But yet it is still pruned. Why? Because the goal isn't merely fruit, dear listeners. The goal is greater fruit. Sometimes we assume that if something is working, it should never change. God often sees potential we cannot yet see. He sees where we are and he sets where we are capable of going. So pruning is not punishment. Pruning is preparation. Yes. So one of the hardest parts, I think, of pruning is that we don't always understand it while it's happening. I mean, we ask questions like, why now? Why this? Why does it feel like something is being removed? And yet, when we look back over our lives, many of us can identify moments that initially felt painful but ultimately positioned us for growth. A closed door that led to a better opportunity. I mean, a difficult season that strengthened our faith, or a change we resisted that eventually became a blessing. In the moment, pruning can feel disruptive, but in hindsight, it often reveals itself as divine preparation. And perhaps, perhaps that's the invitation today: to trust that not everything being removed is being taken away. Some things are simply making room— making room for growth, making room for peace, making room for For purchase. Now let's return to that powerful phrase that says that it may bring forth more fruit. See, it's not saying less; it's saying more. That it may bring forth more fruit. The pruning has a purpose, and the release. has a reason, dear listeners, because the transition has meaning. So for your empowerment prompt this week, I want you to take a few moments this week and reflect on these questions. What might God be asking me to release in this season? Is there something I've outgrown but continue to hold on to? What would change if I viewed pruning as preparation instead of loss? And how might making space create room for greater growth? And I will repeat those for you. Reflect on these. What might God be asking me to release in this season? Is there something I've outgrown but continue to hold on to? What would change if I viewed pruning as preparation instead of loss? And how might making space create room for greater growth? I want you to remember that flourishing often requires room to grow, and room is often created through release. So in closing, my dear listeners, I want you to remember that growth is not always about adding more. Sometimes it's about releasing what no longer belongs. I want you to trust the process And trust the pruning. And know that you have to trust what God is cultivating in your life because it is worth the discomfort of change. Because what is being prepared may be greater than what is being released. So I want to thank you for joining me for episode 2 of our June series, Freedom to Flourish: Growing into What Has Planted— Growing into What God Has Planted. And next week, we'll continue our journey with Bloom Where You Are. So until next time, dear listeners, I want you to continue to live boldly in your power today. And if it gets tough, Just breathe. You still got the strength to rise. So I'll see you next time and continue to live in your power.