By Jan Penton Miller
columnist

The oppressive heat caused sweat to pour down my face as I swung my pliers with determination. Eddie had written in his gardening instructions for the month that roses should be pruned back again for another fall bloom, so I braved the heat to do so.

I thought he also mentioned that he was trimming spindly zinnias and vincas for another show, but I wasn’t sure. Since I was already hot and sweaty, I trimmed a few zinnias that weren’t looking their best.

The roses had grown so tall that I actually wore my big gardening gloves to protect my hands and arms from thorns. I usually just take a thorn or two for the team, the gardening team, that is.

After watching a video or two, I refreshed my knowledge on the difference between deadheading and pruning and decided to do some light pruning because of the heat. I don’t want to shock the plants, but they require a little more work than deadheading.

For those who don’t know, deadheading is not much more than removing the spent flowers before they go to seed. This encourages more flowers, but if the plants become too tall or leggy and take on an unsightly shape, more severe pruning is required.

Hmmmm.

The garden always brings my thoughts back to the Master Gardener, not to the group of plant lovers who bear that name, but to the One who created it all in the first place.

When I see the permanence of nature and the changing of the seasons, I see the greatness of the planning and order in the universe. The lush colors and endless variety of plants remind me of His creativity and great love for all of us in blessing the world with such simple beauty.

As I prune the dead plants and reshape them into a more beautiful version, I think of how God, in his wisdom and love for his children, removes things from our lives that would cause us to stumble. His pruning is always to help us become a more beautiful version of ourselves.

Of course, no one likes to make changes when their life is comfortable, but God wants us to show off and flourish for the world to see.

I’ve always been a fan of DC Talk and I remember a song called “What If I Stumble.” There’s a lot in that song. The introduction is about how the world needs Christians who live differently. Young and old are looking for a church where the lost will see that Jesus is real.

It reminds us that we all stumble, but God knew what situation we were in when He died for us.

That’s why he did it. We need his guidance when we don’t know exactly where to turn or which path to take.

The world is watching.