Cutting to the core

No one likes to be cut down and corrected and other painful experiences that tear back what you believe to be growth.  If you are a gardener, you will understand the pruning process.  I raised roses when I lived in Washington state.  I loved them.  We had large enough property to have the roses well out of the way where the kids are playing ball. Rose bushes are ball killers so the space is much needed.  Plus roses enjoy having their own space.  I read books on raising roses.  Each book included a chapter on pruning.  The first time I pruned one of my 5 foot tall rose bushes I felt so cruel.  I was horrified at the instructions of only leaving 6-12 inches of stems on 3 to 4 branches.  Everything else had to go.  In Washington, the first freeze sometimes happened as early as Halloween.  So each October I would dutifully go out with my cutters and hack away.  I then learned a trick to cover each cut end with finger nail polish to protect the rose bush from attacking bugs or diseases from getting in through these exposed ends.  I also learned to protect the stems from snow and ice to bury them in potting soil so I could brush it off in the Spring.  (First time I used straw, what a mess, picked straw out of the garden all summer.)  Then I waited.  October to March or sometimes April is a long wait.  I second guessed myself constantly.  Did I cut too much?  Did I do it right?  Will my poor plants recover?  Will winter be too harsh?  Will they bloom again?

In my own life, I experienced pruning.  I would be going gun-ho in a direction thinking I am doing great then I will have an experience that will cut me to the core.  I will feel hurt. Sometimes bewildered as to what was wrong with me that I was being trimmed back so painfully.  Failure, major change in health, laid off from a job, loss of a loved one are all painful experiences that used effectively may be opportunities to prune back to my core values and stop the radical growth in the wrong direction.  A life changing experience is supposed to change your life.  These major events left me raw and feeling small.  Using my time in strengthening my roots prepares me for the coming "Spring" when it is time for me to grow again. 

My sister shared a link that also talks about pruning. 
Jill, writer of Mustard Seed Blog, shares another perspective of pruning.  https://mustardseedblogs.com/2019/03/05/there-is-purpose-in-pruning/