In this podcast, Rhonda and Andee discuss the three kinds of pruning described by Dr. Henry Cloud and how that benefits us in life.
Initial ThoughtsOur culture isn’t good at endings.
“Pruning a bush means making hard decisions about proactive endings,” Dr. Cloud says. This is the same process we need to go through in determining where we need to prune in our lives.
3 Kinds of Pruning Needed to Reach Your Vision Healthy buds and branches that aren’t the best ones. We have to evaluate relationships, activities, and obligations to determine which need to be pruned so we can thrive. We have to say No to the good so we can say Yes to the best.We must ask ourselves the question, “What does it mean to say something is good vs. best?”
Sick or diseased branches are an energy drain on the plant. They can infect the plant or hold down production. It’s the same way with us. We have a finite amount of time and energy. Pursuing endeavors that are unable to produce good fruit is counterproductive. Future Fruit depends on pruning away things that are sick or diseased.When we prune away those things that don’t provide results, we can invest our time and energy where we make the biggest difference. THIS is where we can make the biggest Kingdom difference.
Dead branches take up space needed by healthy branches. New growth has to twist and turn around old branches. Old limiting beliefs need to be replaced with the truth of honoring, valuing and living into your strengths. We need to view our strengths as the strengths they truly are, not weaknesses.Pruning old outdated activities, connections, meetings and email lists can give you space in your inbox, calendar, and mind. Removing these helps you be more productive in the space you’re in today.
We tend to shy away from pruning; it sounds really painful. However, if we’re willing to go through the process, we can produce some beautiful fruit.
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast:
Necessary Endings, by Dr. Henry Cloud
