Learning to be Pruned

I read an excellent chapter from the book Biblical Womanhood in the Home titled "Pruned to Bloom," by P. Bunny Wilson. The chapter as well as the rest of the book can be read for free on the website http://www.cbmw.org/. The link to this specific chapter is

http://www.cbmw.org/images/onlinebooks/biblical_womanhood/pruned_to_bloom.pdf

Here is an excerpt from the chapter:

"Since you have given your heart to Jesus,

are you sweeter? Do you make a sincere

attempt to do what is right? Hopefully the

answer to these questions is yes. However,

even with all your efforts and growth, have

you arrived? Are you where He wants you

to be? The answer to that question is no.

The fact that you have not reached perfection
means you will be pruned—regularly. Like

that old grape branch, we need to come to

the place where we willingly surrender

ourselves to be pruned, as uncomfortable as

that may be. As the old grape branch would

say to the young grape branch, 'Remember,

you’re just being pruned to bloom!'"