Shaped with loving hands

I was visiting Dave Murray last week when his son came in from outside. Phil had been working out in the fields with the evergreen trees. His mother said that in order to get ready for the season, all of the trees had to be pruned and shaped.

This struck me as odd. When Jackie saw the look on my face she said, "You don't think the trees grow like that do you? In order to get that perfect Christmas tree shape they need to be cut, shaped and pruned." Dave nodded his head and said, "they grow wild just like us."

I knew there was a lesson in there. All of us need to be pruned and shaped as well. There is a wild bent in us that can take away from the natural beauty God created us with. The pruning and shaping by God's loving hands can bring it back and allow us to reflect his glory and his love.

cal