He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

John 15:2

Tomatoes, when they need pruning, have little growths (sucker shoots) that spring up between the stem and branches that becomes another stalk. This little shoot is in constant competition for nutrients with the original plant. It might result in more tomatoes, but each one will be smaller. The bigger the shoot grows, the more cumbersome it becomes and more effort it takes to keep it staked.

When tomatoes are pruned properly, it prevents sucker shoots from growing and producing undesirable fruit. It is more manageable, and the fruit is much more robust. Pruning also improves air flow among the branches and helps protect it from disease. 

This kind of sounds like life. Sometimes we get so busy being active in church serving in many areas. We work full time and our kids may be involved in several extra-curricular activities. We volunteer for things like helping PTA or with someone’s political campaign, take meals to families, work VBS for church, or help in the kitchen on Wednesday nights.

All of these activities seem like “good” things to do. However, if we’re not careful this pace can lead to burnout, service fatigue, and leave our closest loved ones feeling neglected.

After years of being guilty of this, I realized that many of the things I did took away from my family’s time. I realized I was putting others’ needs above the most important people in my life. Many of the “good” things I did, took time away from the “best” things I needed to do.

Decide who and what your biggest “yeses” are. That will give you freedom to say no to “sucker shoots” that don’t line up with or take away from your “yes”. If we compromise, it means we have to say no to our “yes” in order to fit it in. 

Lord, open our eyes to what we can prune from our lives and help us to make wise choices in when is best to say no to sucker shoots. Our lives will be more manageable, our fruit robust, and we will harbor less stress and friction. In Jesus’ Name.

Johna Clemons