Pruning

Ahh...gorgeous flowers that grew at Veronica's backyard. Captivating and a treat to any eyes. These are really huge flowers and i don't know if i could grow this in Philippines. I remember Lola Pile's garden. She used to have a lots of roses, pink, yellow, red and white. When i was still 10 (i think), i was mezmerized by the red rose and picked it. My lola caught me and she spanked me because i picked the flowers. I learned here in Charlotte that you have to always cut the roses for it to produce more flowers. We cut the flowers almost everyday and the blooming never stops. It just never stops and it keeps on growing and growing. Too bad, my lola doesn't know that at that time...that is called pruning.

Now, i could relate this to my life...or a person's life. Pruning, that's what happened to so many Christians or follower of Christ. I am one of the so many Christians and i've experienced a lot of pruning in the last 4 years of my life....actually 6 years of my life. Some are painful, bitter and hard to understand. But after that, you learn the lesson of it, you change some of the habits, you realized that there's been a change in your character. When i came to understand about God's "pruning", it was already in the 6th year. That is this year...this is the 6th year. And i realized that there has been a change...i don't know how, i don't exactly when but it just happened. God cuts the things that doesn't have to be in our life and sometimes becomes a hindrance for Him to thoroughly work in us. He cuts that...and it hurts. But He has His way too to heal the wound, and after that, like the rose...you will produce the prettiest rose you can ever produce...and that is in other words, the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
I once thought of this virtues as only virtues which we could set as a standard to attain to be a better person. But i learned from The Word that its not just virtues that we can learn and practice, but rather we produce it by grace, apply it in our everyday life so that we may bless other people as well. It should dwell into our character. But one cannot just have it without allowing the Holy Spirit to come in our hearts. And that's why it's called fruits of the Holy Spirit