Dead Things Must Go
A Walk With Christ
Written By: Lanesha Brown
September 4th, 2026
If you follow my social media, specifically, my Tik-Tok account, you may have noticed that I've taken a liking to buying different arrangements of flowers. On my journey of learning how to properly care for my plants and flowers, I've learned quite a few things. One of the interesting things about plants and flowers that stuck out to me is that you must prune them in order to preserve it's life and beauty. Removing dead or dying leaves redirects it the plant's energy toward healthy growth. If I allowed those dead or dying leaves to remain connected to the plant, it can hinder the aesthetic, it slows new growth and it risks the attraction of bugs and unwanted pests. The biggest issue for the plant is that leaving these dead or dying leaves contributes to wasted energy. The plant will continue to send nutrients that could be otherwise sent to healthy leaves and the rest of the plant, to that dying leaf who is unable to receive it. An article by Joe Gardener titled "Why Pruning Matters" talks about how pruning can feel counterintuitive because the growth of the plant is the goal, although pruning takes away what may seem like growth. Joe explains that pruning encourages more growth and improves plant health.
Often, we can think of ourselves as the plants, and God as the pruner. It is natural to want to hold onto things and still try to give life to things that are no longer serving us. We do this and not even realize that the very things that we are holding onto and allowing to stay connected to us, are actually causing harm and restricting our growth in certain areas of our lives. These things are depriving us of the energy that we could be directing to more valuable areas of our lives. Whether it be jobs, relationships, friendships, or opportunities, we may find ourselves holding onto them because they bring us comfort. Relying on the comfortability of a situation may hinder our ability to see that it is actually draining us. Sometimes, we mistake familiarity and comfort for God's will.
That is when we can count on God to step in. He will begin to prune away at the dead things in our lives that are clinging to us. Just like the florist or gardener who desires to see their plants grow, thrive and relish in it's beauty, God desires the same for His children. We may have some things in our lives that are attached to us that has served it's purpose, and is no longer needed. But in order for God to prune, we have to learn to surrender. John 15:1-2 says:
1"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 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."
What God removes may seem like a loss, but He sees the growth that we cannot see.
Not Everything Attached to You is Meant to Stay
You cannot grow forward while constantly trying to preserve what God has already told you to release. Yes, your job may seem reliable, or you may have put years worth of time and energy into that relationship, but what we see as the end, God sees as the beginning. What we count as a loss, God knows exactly what He is making room for. Trust that God has the greatest of intentions for your life in the palm of His hand. He would not take something from you without the will to provide something greater. We may not always immediately understand what God is doing in our lives, and we may not immediately see that what He removes is for the better, but Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and to lean not on our own understanding. We must acknowledge Him in all of our ways and He will direct our paths. That is a promise.
Pruning Can Be Painful... Will You Trust the Gardener?
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11
Spiritual pruning does not always feel good. Sometimes the pain of the pruning can feel as if God has abandoned you but God promises to never leave or forsake us. I encourage you to trust the process of the pruning, because if God is doing the pruning in your life, it is because He knows that you have more fruit to bear. He wants to make room, see you grow, thrive and live out the plans that He has for your life. It is not always easy to surrender when we have grown comfortable in where we are and with what we have. If ever you should find yourself having trouble leaving your place of comfort, remember that Abram had to leave something familiar so that he could step into what God has promised Him. Do not view pruning as punishment, but as preparation for greater fruitfulness.
Gardeners don't prune their plants because they desire to see them fail to thrive. They prune because they care about what it can become. Will you continue to trust God as He strips away the very things that you find comfort in? Will you continue to trust God when you cannot see Him working behind the scenes? During those difficult transitions in your lives, never allow the enemy to lie to you about God's character. It is during these moments of pruning that the enemy will creep up and attempt to plant seeds of lies. God is and will always be sovereign over all things of this earth, including the lives of His children. Trust the gardener throughout all of the uncertainty. His plan for you is always greater.
What Are You Holding Onto?
As we wrap up this week's discussion, I want to pose a few questions that will allow us to reflect as we enter into a new week.
What has God been asking you to release?
This could go beyond physical circumstances. Are you harboring any unforgiveness? Are you stuck on past disappointments? Are you clinging to unhealthy relationships? Whatever God has been telling you to release, understand that He sees beyond what we can see. Let's pray for the ability to surrender.
Have you mistaken God's pruning for rejection?
Are you willing to trust God when you don't understand what He is removing?
God's pruning may change to appearance of our lives, but His purpose is to produce Greater fruit. Let Him prune.
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