The Tree Trimmer

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit,

 He takes away;

 and every branch that bears fruit,

He prunes it,

that it may bear more fruit.

John 15:2

Several weeks ago I could hear loud sudden noises sounding like gunshots coming from our neighborhood.  At first I thought we might be facing another uprising in town.  There had not been any rumors that had reached me about possible but living in Kinshasa an attempted coup is a possibility, usually.  A couple of days later we had a request from our neighbor to trim our mango tree.  The mangoes had been falling on their garage roof and causing great damage.  Apparently my “gun shots” were mangoes on a tin roof. 

Yep, just two large branches coming out of the stump.

Rod arranged with the neighbors to hire a tree trimmer to come in and work on our VERY large mango tree.  It has been great at providing mangoes.  Our family enjoys their share and then our workers around the house enjoy the harvest and their families take the extras to sell on the streets giving them extra income.  So it was basically providing for 4 families or more.  But the tree had gotten so large that it was becoming dangerous.  The branches themselves were as large as a medium sized tree.  Sometimes mango tree branches get so heavy that the branches fall off the tree before than can be harvested.

As I watched this tree trimmer, he would climb out on a branch and begin to chop with his machete.  Often he would be on the outer side of the branch until the wedge he was making got large enough and then he would climb to safety as he finished the chop.  Each time a branch fell I dreaded looking outside just “knowing” someone either came down with the branch or was under the branch when it came down. 

When the trimming had been completed I went out with my camera to take a picture.  I was shocked.  All that was left was a large stump sticking out of the ground.  Ugh!  Yet I am told that it will grow back and once again produce mangoes. 

Modeling the Mangoes, this is our smaller mango tree!

There are times lately I feel like God, the vine-dresser (John 15:1) is going at it with me.  No I don’t have the problems that Job had but God is working on my heart and showing me areas that need some trimming AND actually trimming them.  Why?  Because He wants me to be spiritually healthy.  Sure I am producing fruit but is my fruit healthy?  Is my fruit harming others?  I need to be spiritually healthy so that I am not harming others with what comes out of my mouth or as a result of my actions.  Does it hurt?  You bet it does.  But He has promised that He will complete the good work He has begun.