Better Than Your Big Dreams

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.

We purchased our first home in the dead of winter, when the branches were barren and the ground was beige. That spring, I was amazed to see fuchsia petals unfurl on a rosebush in the front garden. The previous owners had planted it there, and now I enjoy the blooms each year, even though I didn’t lift a finger to help it grow.

As much as I might wish otherwise, life isn’t always filled with blooming flowers. Right next to our flowering rosebush, stubborn weeds grow rampant. Despite our efforts to pull them up, they multiply with fervor, constantly popping up in new places.

Our four-year-old likes to pick the tiny yellow dandelions scattered in the grass and present them to me as a gift. He doesn’t know these flowers are actually weeds that choke out the plants we want to thrive. In order for new blooms to flourish, weeds must be uprooted.

When trials pop up in our lives, our faith is tested (see James 1:2-4). Trials come in all shapes and sizes—sometimes packaged as big, life-altering circumstances and other times disguised as daily inconveniences and challenges. In order for blooms of faith to flourish, we need to pluck the weeds of doubt and fear that threaten to crowd out the truth of God’s character—that he is with us and for us and will never leave us (see Isaiah 43:1-2).

Just as flowers need sun and water, our budding faith needs to soak in the reality of his presence and his goodness.

When life goes well, Jesus is good.

When your day unravels, Jesus is good.

When your dreams are fulfilled, Jesus is good.

When your hopes are crushed, Jesus is good.

When your fears are overwhelming, Jesus is good.

When blooms flourish, Jesus is good.

When the last leaf drifts to the ground, Jesus is good.

When we plant the truth “Jesus is good” in our hearts, we’ll be able to receive the gift of pruning when the master Gardener pulls the weeds from our souls and prunes anything that’s holding us back from growth (see John 15:2). And we’ll be able to rejoice when we see those tender buds of faith start to sprout.

Jesus is good, and knowing this truth is better than your big dreams.

Word before World No matter what you face today, remember that Jesus is forever and always good.

Grow in Grace Take an honest look at the garden of your soul. What weeds do you see there? What would it take to pull them out, by God’s grace?