Woman of God: I just want to remind you that pruning and separation are two completely different things.
Pruning presupposes connection. It says “you’re already connected to me, and I just need to remove some things so that you would bear more fruit.” Pruning removes sin, attachments, distractions, self-reliance, habits that weaken us, and idolatry SO THAT there is more room in your life for Him. And yes, through pruning, He even removes “good things” — sometimes things connected to gifts and assignments He entrusted to you to steward.
Pruning is developmental. It’s purposeful. And oh my, it can be so painful. But let’s look at Scripture to help shift perspective: that pain means you’re being tended by the Vinedresser, the very hands of our Father (John 15:1-2). He loves you SO MUCH that He prunes you with careful, loving hands, removing only what hinders the fruit He desires to grow in your life.
Truth is, if I wasn’t abiding and fervently seeking the Lord when He called me out of talent management, I would have believed He was punishing me for the idolatry. But He wasn’t punishing me, He was pruning me. Making space for more of His light in my life so that I would bear more fruit. He was reorienting my focus back on Him, removing the thing that was thinning out my devotion so that my worship would be whole again.
Sis, pruning deepens dependence, and it’s a mark of Sonship. It is evidence that you belong to the family of God. IT IS AN HONOR TO BE PRUNED AND TENDED BY HIM.
Pruning is evidence that you are still connected to the Vine.
Don’t prematurely take yourself out out of the pruning. Don’t resist the hand that is cultivating you.
Abide in the process.
So if the Lord is removing something from your life right now, don’t assume He is rejecting or punishing you. He may be preparing you.
As for me, the gift is still the gift, and the gift was — and still is — good. The Lord needed to reorient it back to Him before entrusting me with what comes next.
I love you. Be encouraged 🤍
A beautiful reminder that the Lord restores 🥹
When the Lord lifted His grace from my prior season as a talent manager, I entered into a deep grief. I loved what I did, and in spite of the often-debilitating anxiety I experienced, I believed I had reached the peak of my purpose doing it.
Though I understood why the Lord lifted His grace (I had turned an assignment into an altar), it didn’t lessen the grief. In that space, I made the intentional decisions to guard my heart from anything that would deepen my grief. I chose to remain hidden in the Lord, trusting that, in due time, He would reveal what was next.
In the meantime, He called me to faithfully steward the assignments already in my hands: seminary (I’ve been in school since January), @seedsowharvest and @hiddeninthelord_
Then, on October 15 (two years and 7 days from the day He first revealed that chapter 1 would soon close), while in Dallas for the first stop of the @streetpreacherspod tour, something shifted. As the room cried out to Jesus, and I stood on the sidelines, ensuring everything was executed with excellence and in love, the Lord lifted my grief.
With what felt like the sweetest wink and the deepest of love, He reminded me that He is a faithful RESTORER who wastes NOTHING. What He removes, He can always restore. And while there is still no clear path for chapter 2, He has reminded me of who He is AHEAD of that revelation.
My restorer. 🥹
Lord, You are so kind.
Thank you, Jesus.
@ttimberlake@philipamitchell — mis hermanos, thank you for getting on your face and seeking the Lord about me 🥺. This is the Lord’s “hesed.” 🫶🏽
