Monday, August 15, 2022
Pruning a plant is not about the initial sacrifice, it’s about the ultimate good. Pruning is not putative, it’s for the overall health of the plant. Otherwise the plant would overgrow and choke out its surroundings. Cutting back is sometimes the best thing, even if initially it’s painful and shocking. Cutting something down to size is an act of love, like disciplining a child. That’s because a child just doesn’t understand what “too much” is.
Adults don’t understand what too much is, either. The notion of being peeled back, reduced, pruned, cut down, etc., is not a new one. Spirituality texts are filled with these kinds of metaphors. But understanding when you’re being pruned isn’t easy, especially when you’re going through the hell of it.
When you discipline a child, they don’t understand the love of correction. They think you’re being mean. They don’t have the capacity to understand what’s good for them. And as adults, we sometimes just don’t understand what’s good for us. Why is chopping down the ego so hard to endure? It’s because by nature, we love to have more. Humans love to flourish, to achieve, and to gain, but no-one gets to flourish indefinitely. Too much foliage creates problems. Too many possessions will overwhelm you. Too much food will smother you in your own body. Too much fun will exhaust your energy. When you’ve got too much, life will do a big cleanup. When you’re too haughty, life will cut you down to size. When you’re too full, life will withhold blessing. The cuts can be deep and painful. But once they are over, new sprouts will flourish through your humble spirit. This process is cyclic, so don’t get too comfortable. The pruning shears will come out many times in your life. The key is to endure gracefully, what’s good for you.