Making Room for Growth
By Bonnie Hoover
One sunny afternoon in February, just as tiny buds were beginning to swell on the branches, I spent several hours meticulously cutting back growth from my peach trees. I clipped the water sprouts and the hundreds of small shoots crowning the top of the trees. I cut out so many branches that grew over the past year and stepped back to survey my work. The kids looked a little confused when they came down to help carry away the mess on the ground. It appeared I had cut away more than remained, and what was left looked pitiful.
A month later, I watch the pink blossoms open and am in awe of my beautiful trees. The tiny blooms make me hopeful that we’ll finally see the fruit of our careful feeding and pruning this summer. What could be better than sweet, juicy peaches? Well, maybe homemade peach ice cream!
What if we took the time this spring to give our relationship with our spouse the same care? What kind of fruit would spring up from pruning unnecessary activities, entertainment, and even relationships, that crowd our relationship with our spouse and hinder growth? Cutting away makes room for the most important things to grow healthier and stronger. Once you’ve cut away things that don’t need to be there, you’ll be amazed at the time you have to invest in what truly matters. You may find more time for date nights, a mutual hobby, joining a small group, serving together, or even crashing on the couch and holding hands.
We spend time pruning and fertilizing in the spring to produce the best crop on the farm. It might be a good idea to focus our energy on doing the same in our relationship with our spouse. Life gets busy, and all kinds of things spring up, overshadowing and hindering growth in our marriage. You never know what kind of fruit will come from a little… or a lot of pruning.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. -2 Corinthians 9:6
Listen to our conversation about Pruning on The Marriage Adventure Podcast, EP//92.
