When I was a little girl, my brother and I would go out on my family’s land and explore sixty acres of open pasture, thick woods, hidden meadows and beaver ponds. (That’s what kids did when TV only had three channels and your telephone was mounted to the kitchen wall.)   Back then I was familiar with the little trails and where they lead, but over the last thirty years the land has changed quite a bit and it’s not the same as it once was.

   Last year, in the spring, I started exploring it again. Right away I found a wide, clear path with a small wooden bridge over the creek. This path was easy to find and easy to travel so I walked it day after day for weeks. I loved it. The trees and bushes were in full leaf making it shady and secluded. I could watch the dogs romp and play, think about life and pray while I walked. Life was great.

Through the summer and fall, I was still taking these walks frequently. But I was getting a little bored taking the same route every time, so I began to venture off the beaten path a little. I would see a slight break in the trees that looked like a trail and I would try to go down it but inevitably the undergrowth would get too thick and I would have to turn back.

For the past several weeks, life has been busy so I haven’t been on any long walks. For Christmas I received some hiking boots. Today I decided they needed to be christened with a little farm mud, so the dogs and I took off on one of our walks. To my delight, all those previously obscured paths are now visible. With little effort I was able to navigate through to areas that I hadn’t been able to reach before.

It’s often like that in our spiritual walk. We enjoy a season of a walking strongly with the Lord. Life is good and there is great growth. But after a while we begin to sense a change of direction is needed but we don’t know which way to go.

We may think we did something wrong because we can’t see beyond the path. But if we understand the season we’re in, we will understand that we can’t see because of all the growth.

As the season changes, it may look like all the fruit of our growth is dying. This can be a confusing and painful time but it has a purpose.      

               Barrenness brings clarity.  

“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.” -John 15:1-2

In other words, we are pruned if we do and pruned if we don’t!

Our Father is always working and pruning in our life to bring about the very best for us.  Don’t be confused by a pruning season in your life. Embrace the barrenness and press in to the new areas being revealed to you.

God bless you.

-wendy