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~The Gardenerıs Touch ~
John 15:1-8
³I protest² said the branch, ³It hurts to be pruned.
Iıd gotten used to that bend there on the side by the ground.
³Itıs been there awhile,² the branch explained,
³A heavy storm that changed my life, I weathered it well,
as some have said, and I believe theyıre right.
³You see, dear Gardener, itıs partly your fault,
You let the storm come and toss me about.
You didn't explain, didnıt stop the pain,
and didnıt help me when I screamed in rage.
When the storm was over, broken pieces around,
my leaves in tatters, my hopes on the ground.
Though the roots never trembled, my support never moved,
I pretended not to notice, and grieving, nursed my wounds.
³How strong you are, how brave² the other branches said.
I refused your Gardeners touch, preferring to be bent.
But as my leaves began to grow, no blossoms could be seen.
Without the flowers, thereıs no scent, no fruit will summer bring.
So you began to cut and prune, a few large pieces first.
And when the damage was removed, a few flowers did emerge.
And now we come to this old bend, a small one, to be sure.
Do you really have to prune this, Lord? I kind of liked it there.
The Gardener, with gentle voice, replied so lovingly.
³My dear young branch, you could not know, I do it all for thee.
The storms in life will batter you, my roots will not be moved.
Grounded in me, you will never die, put your faith in me.
When your leaves are tattered, your branches bent and torn,
my pruning makes you stronger, better fruit that will be borne.²
And so dear friends, remember this, our roots cannot be moved.
Though we protest the trimming, and wonder why the pain.
Our Gardener sees the whole branch, and we only the leaves.
~Kathryn Johnson ~
Copyright 1998
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