I’ve been in Albania for three weeks now and wanted to update you all on what my squad has been up to and what I’ve been learning.
For the first two weeks, all 49 of the Squad lived and worked together on a farm. It was a fun experience of lime washing walls (its like painting with water), cleaning pig pens (scooping pig poop and all), working on the grounds, and tending a garden. The squad did a great job of sowing into a ministry even though they won’t be there to necessarily see the reward.
I had my fair share of lime washing walls, but I also had the opportunity to work in the garden for two days. My job there was to trim the kiwi vines, cutting off all the branches that didn’t bear fruit and trimming the ones that did.
As I was trimming away, while standing on a 7 foot ladder, the Lord reminded me of a verse in John 15 where Jesus says “… my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
The vines of the kiwi plants we were working with were an absolute mess, twisting around each other, some blocking the sun of the good branches, and others shooting out of the structure, unsupported. So many of the branches needed to be trimmed in order for the plant to survive.
As I was pruning away, the Lord began speaking to my heart about how HE PRUNES US TOO.
He prunes us by showing us where we’re gifted, what we do well, and how we bring his love. He can prune how we act and the things we do. Not cutting away WHO we are, but rather the things we are not. Along with this, I realized that he can prune our dreams too.
I am a dreamer by nature. Not necessarily a planner, but definitely a dreamer. I have friends who are much better at planning, but I have always been good at dreaming. I have a list of things I want to do one day, like get married, have kids, live abroad for an extended amount of time, etc, and I’m pretty serious about accomplishing the things on the list.
However, the Lord began to show me that he wants permission to prune the dreams and hopes I have too.
He hasn’t told me to quit dreaming, but rather invited me to let him be part of them. “Dream with me” is what I felt Him nudge in my heart.
At first, it can feel a little like disappointment and crushed hopes when he prunes a dream I have. Like when He led me to Squad lead rather then go to India for a year. But what He’s really doing is bringing something much better and more fruitful about. After all, he is a master vinedresser.
“For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20
