My Catalyst 3DM coaching group is studying Building a Discipling Culture by Mike Been and Steve Cockram and has spent the last few weeks talking about rhythms and pruning. I have found our discussions around pruning particularly enlightening.

Here is what the huddle guide has to say on the topic.

“Bearing fruit is the most natural thing in the world for a branch. It doesn’t do it by straining to push out a grape. Looking at our lives, however, it would seem like producing fruit – making disciples – is strenuous. If fruit-bearing is not coming naturally in our lives, could it be that we have not spent the proper season abiding? Could it be that we have become overgrown branches, too weak to support a single grape, let alone a bunch?

Pruning is not the fun part of life. You can often recognize pruning as a painful, stressful, or challenging time – but if a grapevine is not pruned regularly, the branches grow spindly and weak. The branches need abiding time to gain strength for the growing season. Pruning is not always a sign of God’s discipline. Sometimes even healthy growth must be trimmed in order to make room for future growth.“

The book is right. Pruning is not fun. It can be painful, stressful, and challenging.

I, for one, am terrible at it. Terrible. At. It.

I am over-committed. My life is busting at the seams, and not only do I not have any room for future growth, but I often find myself tired, cranky, and a little burnt out. I am in a season where pruning is critical.

So this week I’ve asked a handful friends to share their thoughts on where they’ve been called to cut back. I sure hope you enjoy their perspectives. And if you, like me, find yourself needing some pruning, I hope this be a catalyst for change in your life.

Is there an area of your life where you are feeling called to prune?

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