Pruning

So it's been approximately two weeks since Nicoll and I started our some of our plants for our garden (obviously inside at this point in the year). You can see that some seeds have taken root and sprouted (two varieties of tomatoes and broccoli), while others haven't (eggplant and bell peppers). I'm sure there are dozens of verses in Scripture that I could muse over and ponder their meaning in light of my current experience with teaching and how some students listen and others don't, just like those seeds.

I think the thing that interests me more, though, is that today I had to prune out the extra plants from each little pot. Obviously, next year we won't sow quite as many seeds in a single area, but we're this time around, we're new at this. Anyway, in some squares we had as many as 7 or 8 little tomato plants sprouting. Unfortunately, I had to prune out most of those additional plants to ensure that they didn't choke each other out. Below lies the carnage:



Now that our garden is much... slimmer... than before, I can't help but think about how this process happens often in nature. Not only do we have to prune plants to ensure maximum fruit-baring, but many animals will kill the weaker of their offspring: for example, often a female dog will kill a puppy that she deems weaker in order to increase the chances for the other pups to survive.

And I can't help but wonder... why? What makes us root out the weak? How often do I do that in my own life with my students, focusing on the students who I feel like I can make the most impact on? With my own relationships? And how much of it is necessary? How much did Jesus prune his relationships to maximize his impact? Or did he prune them at all? Obviously, Jesus didn't heal every sick person that came to him; how did he choose? The same goes for the apostles. What in my life do I need to prune in order to maximize my resources and make the most impact? If I spread myself to thin, then I won't grow any deep roots and I will just wither away. But how do I make those decisions when there are so many godly works?

These are just a few questions I've been pondering. Feel free to post your thoughts, and I will post some of mine when I come up with some answers.
I welcome your thoughts, because all I have are questions today.