sometimes it takes shears

Recently, we had to move two of my favorite plants-butterfly bushes. They had grown huge, but were in the way of some changes we were making. So we decided to uproot them and move them. At first, it seemed like that was going to work great. But gradually, we realized they seemed to be dying. What was once vividly alive and growing, was slowly dying because of change. Desptie the watering, the leaves were turning black and falling off. And after a few days, they were just two dead plants in new places. The uprooting had brought what seemed like death.
In a last ditch effort to save them, I had Drew take the shears to them and cut them back to just a few feet off the ground. We continued to water them and waited. Within 24 hours, it happened. New growth began to spring forth from what seemed like a dead plant. It was only a small sign of life, but life was there. The shears were needed for the plant to grow. I was so excited...
And then I heard Him speak. It was so plain. This plant is just like life...and just like church. Sometimes things we love get in the way of changes that need to be made. And so we have to uproot those things and place them elsewhere or allow them to be moved so that they are not destroyed in the changed. Sometimes we have to seemingly let things die in order to allow for change. But much like my trees, when we take the shears to things, prune it back, new life is cultivated from something that needed to be moved and seemed like it was dead.
I was thinking about my life and how sometimes things, good things, have to be uprooted in order for change to happen. How things have to die so that new life can happen. How things have to be stripped and pruned, using the shears to bring new life from what seemed like was dying. We have a tendency to cling to what was...instead of embracing new life.
Maybe it is time for us to uproot somethings...to move it around. And it might die. Or maybe in the pruning and in using the shears, new life might be brought forth. For life is found in dying.
I think I will let go of what was and look for what is to come. Move what needs to be moved. Shear what needs to be sheared...for I don't want to just enjoy the growth of the same old bush forever. I want something new...
For when I moved the bush...I divided it and got 2 out of 1. And BOTH have new growth. It just works that way.

ALL FOR YOU