The first Sunflower and Red Tomato of the Year

I had a lesson in balance this morning. I need many more lessons. As I walked through the yard checking on my tiny veggies, I noticed that a couple plants (anise and parsley) are doing so incredibly well that they are dwarfing the plants around them. The plants are trying to grow in the shadows without full access to sunlight and their tiny roots are probably fighting with the stronger roots for nutrients. If you know me well, you know I have a weird aversion to cutting things back and pruning but it's becoming more and more clear that I'm going to have to address this situation.

It made me think about other areas in my life that may be "dwarfed" by things. The specific situation that came to mind was my career. For so long, I have focused almost entirely on the requirements of my job at the detriment sometimes of my personal life, my chores around the house and my dreams. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and am so grateful for the joys it brings me. However, just like the anise and parsley, it seems to be growing too quickly at the expense of the things around it. When anything in life takes up so much space that other things suffer, it's time to reevaluate. Pruning my plants sometimes gives me a guilty twinge (poor stem didn't get a chance to be everything it could) but I know it needs to be done for the betterment of the entire plant. I struggle with this issue because it requires me to relinquish control and trust God to help me make the choices that bring Him glory above all else. In both these situations, it seems so much simpler if I keep my eyes on the bigger picture. Let my focus today be on the possibilities that pruning brings...

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