Painful Pruning!

I have a beautiful hydrangea by the gate to my back door. It is my favorite shrub in my yard. Hydrangeas have always been one of my favorite flowers but this particular shrub is the favorite in my yard for one reason only... it is the ONLY shrub in my yard that has required absolutely no care (or so I thought) until recently.

Ever since I first moved into my home, the hydrangea by the gate has been perfectly shaped and filled with blooms every summer. I have done nothing to take care of it. It has taken care of itself. Every year it grows larger and blooms fuller, albeit a little wild and haphazardly. Two summers ago it became so big and wild that it started to block the gate. It became apparent that I was going to have to prune my beautiful hydrangea. Well... I'm not a gardener and my pruning shears became a weapon in my inexperienced hands.

After my beautiful hydrangea had finished blooming two years ago, I picked up the shears and pruned back the branches. I was very proud of my new-found gardening skill and couldn't wait until the next year to see the fruits of my labor.

The next year arrived and my beautiful hydrangea didn't bloom nearly as much as it had in the past. In fact, many branches were completely bare. What had I done?!

I invited a friend of mine to look at my patient. She quickly informed me that I had cut at the wrong time and in the wrong places! She also informed me that my hydrangea needed regular care... not just when things went wrong... but constant!

My hydrangea had appeared fine over the years so I gave it no attention. I waited until it had grown all over the place before I cared for it. Kind of like life... we don't turn to God unless things get out of hand. We wait for a crisis before falling to our knees.

My intention in pruning was to make the shrub more beautiful and not overgrown and sloppy... and covering my gate. But my inexperience caused more damage than good. Thank goodness our Heavenly Father knows what He is doing. He is constant. He never leaves us. He never gives up on us. He wants to care for us and teach us. He doesn't wait until we are out of control before attending to us. When He must prune us, His pruning makes us bear bigger and better fruit... and more of it. It may be painful at the time but the result far outweighs the pain.

Sweet Blessings,
LeAnn