Pruning your life!

I was cutting the grass today, or mowing the lawn as we say in the garden that is England.  

My Dad's lawn turned from a rugged, unkempt, furry mess to a velvety soft eiderdown that made me just want to lie down, breathe in the gloriously fresh Kent air, and relax in God's presence.

So I did just that.  

Having time to breathe is something that I'm not used to.  My life in the land of sun and sand that is our home, Bahrain, is action packed and fun filled, but leaves little time for rest and relaxation.

So, perchance to dream.  

I lay back with my head on the green velvet of my Father's garden and ran my hands through my hair whilst enjoying that feeling of freedom that can only come through knowing Jesus.  I looked back at what had happened in my life since I had been saved.  Saved in every way that a person can be saved.

So much had happened to me in such a short space of time.  

It was like looking at a pair of old fashioned scales and seeing one of the balances full to the brim with all kinds of rubbish, dirt and mud and the other weighing much heavier but with only a single nugget of solid gold.

Breathing in that unmistakeable scent of freshly cut grass suddenly sent my mind reeling to another place, another Lydia, young and innocent, with tears rolling down her cheeks as she mourned the fate of the uncut grass.  As a young girl I was always so sure that I could hear the grass screaming as my Dad mowed the lawn.  I couldn't bare any kind of cutting or pruning of plants just as I couldn't bare the killing of any insects, birds or animals.  

Whether I could hear the grass or not, who knows.  I have witnessed many far stranger events in my life so I certainly wouldn't rule it out.  But as I have come to realise over the past few months, it's good to prune out the unnecessary or rotten branches and to clean up your life. Just like the grass screaming in terror at the thought of being mowed to within an inch of its life, the thought of giving your own life a clean sweep, or cutting off the parts of your world, your relationships even your career that are not going in the right direction can be daunting and in some cases, terrifying. 

As it says in John 15:2 "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."

And that is exactly what God did to me.  On the night of the 4th February this year, after receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, God told me in no uncertain terms, through scripture and with a clear, strong voice that I should fast for forty days.  At the time I thought this seemed like a oddly random thing to do but because I was filled with the Holy Spirit I was on fire for God and yielded to every instruction that I was given.  The next day I started my fast, taking only water and tea or coffee during the day and consuming a bowl of homemade soup and some dates each evening.  

During this time Jesus healed me and restored me in every way possible and brought me into a wonderful relationship with Him so that I could start living according to His perfect will.

Dear Father in Heaven,

You are the creator of all things.  You sowed the seeds and cared for all your creations with the love of a Father who loves his children. You are the one who knows us all by name and even knows the number of hairs on our heads.  You are the heavenly gardener who knows how to prune out all our unfruitful and rotten branches.  

I know that my love is not yet sufficient, and my soul must be purified, but this purification I leave in the hand of my Lord and Father, the great heavenly gardener who will trim and prune all of my branches. Even though this will be painful, I surrender myself to you Lord, for only you know my heart and the blessings you have in store for me in heaven. All my life I will live by your grace and mercy in the service of Christ, my Saviour.

In Jesus' name I pray,

Amen.