Playing Your Cards

“‘We would have healed Babylon,
   but she cannot be healed;
let us leave her and each go to our own land,
   for her judgment reaches to the skies,
   it rises as high as the heavens.’ – Jeremiah 51

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 51-52; Hebrews 9

Life is a lot like the game of poker at times. The best we can do is play the cards we are dealt.

We have different things that come into our lives. Sometimes these cards are good and worthy of holding on to and betting on. Other times they are ok. They have potential, and depending on the situation they may be worth holding on to, to see how they pan out. But other times what we get is garbage. The earlier we decide to fold those hands the better off we are in the long run.

Of course we cannot fold our cards in all of the situations in our lives. We cannot give back or family or our genetics. No matter what we think about where we come from, it is in fact where we come from.

But there is so much about life that we can choose to walk away from, to let die, rather than putting energy into it hoping that it will spring to life and bear fruit.

This is why we prune things. In order to grow most efficiently we must cut away that which is holding back life. We have to rid ourselves of people, places and situations that are taking more from us than they are giving.

This theme has come up time and time again in our reading and I don’t think it is an accident. I think the repetition is a necessary reminder because it is often hard to cut away those things that once gave us life.

Have you noticed that there are some things in your life that need to be cut away? 

Pruning Hurts So Good

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. John 15: 2-3

Today’s Reading: 2 Chronicles 23-24; John 15

This has been a tough one for me personally.

As a child and even into adulthood I used to hold onto friends a bit too much. I have always been a very loyal person and someone who tries to see the best in others that I deem trustworthy. But not all of those “friends” were really friends.

Have you ever depended on another person and had them let you down? It’s a really wack feeling. Each time I opened up to a new person I felt like I was let down. Sometimes it was just my perception, other times it was true… but with each encounter my heart grew colder. I got to a point where I just didn’t let anyone in at all.

Then I got to college and started to challenge this. I tried to open myself up again and had some great results. I met some great people who are still in my life to this day.

But even the best of friends aren’t perfect. Sometimes they let you down.

This happened to me several years ago. I thought to myself… damn… not again. This is what I get for opening myself up.

But then I had a second thought… wait a minute… I can’t keep on cutting people out of my life. What the heck is wrong here?

And that’s when I realized my problem. I put way to much faith in other people, and not enough in God.

Sometimes we have to experience some form of loss in order to reach our full potential. When we have folks in our lives that we love, but aren’t going in the similarly positive direction then they can pull us off track.

That’s where the pruning comes in.

As those dead branches are cut away we realize that our energy, our spirits, and our lives were not dependent on these branches anyway. But as long as those branches are still attached, we continue to pour energy into them, preventing our ability to bear good fruit in our lives.

So if you have noticed that things are being stripped away from you; just roll with it. Odds are it is just dead weight that is keeping you from flying.

It may be hard to see that now… but have a little faith… It will all work out in the end.