Storms

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 15:2 NIV

The phone rang earlier than usual and its brrrrrinnng was my wake-up call.  “Did you survive that storm last night?” Amanda wanted to know.  My girlfriend described golf-ball size hailstones in her yard, while I looked out the blinds to survey the damage at my house.  I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.  “The storm must not have come this way,” I explained. 

Later that afternoon I left to run errands.  Just a few miles down the road were sticks and tree branches everywhere I looked.  As I took note of limb after limb, I discovered a common denominator.  Most of them were already dead; there were no green leaves.  The storm pruned the trees of dead growth.   

Looking at the storm’s aftermath reminded me that God uses storms in my life to prune me as well.  During those storms, He removes lifeless sections that bear no fruit.  After the storm the sun comes out, and I can stretch my branches to grow taller, fuller, and be more fruitful.  

Do you hear the brrrrrrinnnng of a wake-up call?  Perhaps there is a storm in which you were not aware.  If you find yourself with a broken branch, don’t worry.  God is just preparing you to grow fruit.