PRUNE YOUR BRANCHES

If you lead a busy life you know how important it is to get away for a weekend. That can be easier said than done. Usually, the week leading up to your getaway already has you busy with your job, along with getting everything prepped for the trip. Finally, it’s Friday and your work week is done. You start packing gear into your vehicle, pack the cooler and load it, maybe hook up a camper or boat, and then load any other people in the vehicle. Then, you get on the road and hope traffic isn’t bad. Finally, you arrive at your destination, unload all your things, plop yourself into a cozy chair and let out a big sigh, “AHHHH!” In a few days you will do it all over again to get home. Hopefully, between arrival and leaving there was time to relax and unwind. Isn’t that the point of a getaway? To unwind and relax, right? Some people who plan and take weekend getaways don’t really getaway, they stay busy the whole time. They’re making plans to see this, do that, organize some event, plan meals and so on. Busy like a bee, some may say. The difference is that the bee is very focused in the animal kingdom. Their focus is to fly from flower to flower gathering nectar and then buzz back to the hive, resting periodically and then buzzing back out to gather more nectar.  In the human world, we get up in the morning, make coffee, shower, eat, go to work, and maybe pick up groceries on the way home.  Then, we may go to a child’s sporting or music event, volunteer at a church or school function…maybe both, mow the grass, walk the dog, do the laundry, clean the house, check social media, watch a favorite TV show, go to bed, and then think of all the things that need to get done tomorrow. No wonder we humans get stressed out! I am one of those humans; I routinely take on a lot. My wife encourages me to stop volunteering for every opportunity that comes along…I don’t always listen. The life of a bee sounds pretty good.

All of the above said tasks are good things, but there is such a problem as too much of a good thing or more appropriately, good things. When we have all those tasks to complete it’s like a tree with too many branches, they start to choke each other out.

I know how this tree feels, time to prune.

 For a tree to be healthy its branches need to be pruned. There may be dead branches taking up space and energy, or there just may be too many branches to allow for more substantial growth. When excessive branches are pruned, more energy can be put into the remaining ones. The remaining branches grow stronger and over time, those strong branches start to sprout other branches. As seasons pass, more and more branches sprout until it’s time to prune again.   

How do you decide on what to prune and what to keep? This is a challenge for me, so I try to rely on my faith, family and good friends. Those three influences help me stay focused like the busy bee; not the busy-body human.

 

Matthew 11: 28-29 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”