Week 13: "I SEE A DAY"

I don’t know about you, but I’m not one to let go of things easily.  I’m not necessarily a hoarder, but I’m not quick to throw away the things I’ve picked up along life’s journey.  You can argue whether that’s good or bad, but as this relates to time and resources, this can be a very bad thing. 

Last week I finished reading a compelling book called Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud.  He paints the picture that endings and new beginnings are linked together in a puzzling way; you can’t have one without the other.  He quotes the words of Jesus from the book of John:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (15:1-2)

What branches do I have that aren’t bearing fruit?  What good things do I need to trim to bear even more fruit?  Simple questions.  Not so easy to give up.  About this time last year, the Lord gave my wife Nicole a dream about a 25-story building about to crash.  There were various symbolic elements to it, but there was a banner over it that labeled it as the ministry that she and I had overseen with the young people at our church.  I loved this program and had poured out for three years to get it going; I really saw an impact in the children’s lives because of it.  And God was calling me to give it up.  It was painful, and difficult telling the parents and kids we weren’t going to be doing the program the next year.  But can I tell you that the gardener loving pruned the branch to make room for more fruit?

This requires forward thinking, not just of what we need to end, but what we’re called to begin.  Martin Luther King shared his vision of what tomorrow could be.  “I see a day…” is a vision that changed a nation.  Woah!  Let that sink in.

Special focus: That we would get comfortable with necessary endings.  And obey the voice of the Lord in pursuing the vision he’s given us for changed lives here in Acadiana.