Know Love Like This: 21 Days of Discovering God's Heart for YouSample

Growing Pains

By Matthew Hernandez

“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. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” –John 15:1–4 (NIV)

In the fall of 2021, my wife and I took a trip with our best friends to northern California to spend a couple of days in San Francisco and Napa Valley. I was born and raised in California, so any chance I get to go back is an automatic “yes” for me. Our drive consisted of lush hills, incredible vineyards, and those gentle giants, the California redwood trees. But this was more than just a fun trip for me. The destination, along with our friends who accompanied us, was very intentional. Earlier in the year, the Lord had been speaking with me specifically on the first part of John 15, and because of that, I had begun studying vineyards. I wanted to learn about the vines, the soil, the grapes, and everything in between. Going to Napa and seeing it all firsthand with my wife and best friends was the culmination of what I had been studying and learning. To say I was excited to be there would be an understatement.

When I think about that trip, I don’t just think about the new experiences shared or the conversations had in our Airbnb. I don’t just think about the best pasta I’ve ever had in a tiny restaurant called Cook in the town of St. Helena or the best fall weather that California has to offer. What stands out to me the most was the vineyard we toured on our last full day in Napa.

We walked row by row with our guide hearing about this specific vineyard and viewing the grapes still on the vine because they were in the middle of their harvest season for the year. It was there that the guide talked to us about the soil and climate for that year and what it meant for the grapes. He told us about the growing process and the pruning process. Pruning is not just something that’s encouraged; it’s absolutely necessary for the quality of the vine and the quality of the vintage. If a vine is not pruned, it can result in overcrowding and the suffocation of the grapes. Not pruning shows lack of care and knowledge of the vineyard. Then our guide said something that stopped me in my tracks. He said, “Sometimes we have to cut off what we think is good and prune for the growth we know is best.” He went on to talk some more, but I don’t remember much of it because right there, on that warm fall day, I was standing in a vineyard and having an encounter with God.

In John 15:2, Jesus says that His Father, the Gardener, prunes every branch that bears fruit so it will bear even more fruit. When I look back on my life, I realize that in seasons where I thought God was cutting me, He was actually pruning me. Times where I thought God might be hurting me were ultimately healing me. Now that I am on the other side of these times, I can see God’s faithfulness and His love for me. But in the middle of those seasons, I had lots of questions.

Maybe you’re there now—a place where the pruning may feel like a cutting. Let me be the friend to remind you that, as we remain in Him, our Father the Gardener prunes us because He loves us. A gardener who does not prune shows no care for his garden, and that’s not who God is.

From my study of vineyards in 2021, I know that the grapes that produce the best vintages are often the ones where the vine has suffered. When the vine is suffering, it is forced to dig its roots even deeper in the soil for nutrients and growth. The end result is a great tasting grape and vintage.

If some of the best grapes come from vines that must dig their roots deep in the soil and go lower in the ground, and if pruning is necessary to the health of the vine, that tells me that growing looks a lot like shrinking. The same is true for us as followers of Jesus.

Whatever season you may find yourself in right now, right this very moment, dig deep, remain in Him, and trust that the fruit and vintage that’s being produced in you will be more than worth it! Trust that our Father is the best gardener, and He only wants the best for us because He sees the best in us—for we are His divine image bearers. Have confidence that this pruning or cutting will shape you for what is best. In your shrinking, growth is taking place.

Prayer

God, I thank You that You are the best gardener and that You prune because You love me. I choose to always place my trust in You and not in my circumstances. I submit my life to You in every season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For Further Reflection

• Do you find yourself in a pruning season? What do you think God is trying to speak to you in this time?
• Look back at your journey and the pruning or suffering seasons you have endured. What do you know about God now that you didn’t know then?

Holy Spirit, what are you saying to me?