Fallen Branches

by Macy Johnson

“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 NIV)

 

It was a hot Saturday afternoon in early September. Jeff, my husband, and John, our son-in-law, lounged in our air-conditioned house and watched a college football game. My daughter, Libby, and I sat on the dock and watched her children swim and play in the lake.

 

Crack! Bam! I turned to Libby and asked, “What was that?” I knew that familiar sound too well. We rushed to the house to alert the men and covered the grounds. Nothing was found, until Libby looked up at the cabin’s roof. A huge oak limb had fallen, torn into the shingles, and produced a gaping hole.

 

Jeff and John scrambled to remove the limb and patch the hole before the rains came. I knew a phone call to our roofer would soon be in order. It is one of the downsides of living in the Oconee National Forest.

 

Little did I know, south of us in my hometown on the coast, another branch had broken and was falling. One of my very best friends from high school finally succumbed to cancer after many years of battle. She slipped from the arms of her husband of fifty-plus years into the arms of Jesus that night. Her Lord pruned her into His perfection.

 

God prunes me with trials and suffering. He removes dead things so He can breathe new life into me through His Holy Spirit.

 

I will allow my heavenly Father to break off branches in my heart that need to be removed so I will be more fruitful. I hope you will, too!