We Want the Rain But Not the Hail...

This time of year, as the pecan trees begin to put on those tiny buds which will turn out to be the upcoming crop, pecan farmers pray for the spring rains but they dread the thought of hail, high winds, tornadoes, or late freezes.  Many mornings after a spring storm you will find a pecan farmer driving through their orchards checking rain gauges and/or the damage Mother Nature can bring. 

Growing up I watched my dad stay up until the 10pm weather forecast was over then he went to bed (how he slept or if he slept depended on the forecast).  Nowadays, thanks to technology, most farmers can check the apps on their phones to see the forecast any time of day (but I bet the majority still watch the nightly news to see what the local weatherman has to say at that time of night).  I also watched both my parents worry about the weather on numerous occasions.  Some things we can control, or at the very least minimize the damage, but some things are beyond our control.

Farmers can prepare for the lack of rain by irrigating crops from well water.  However there are very few ways to stop a flood.

When it comes to a freeze, farmers can water the trees (a wet freeze is better than a dry one) or they can try to burn hay to create smoke to keep the heat in.  Unfortunately some freezes are just too cold for too long and no amount of water or smoke will save the crop.

Hail, high winds, and tornadoes can only be dealt with in prayer.  In just a few minutes a severe hail storm can strip a tree bare or a high winds can break off limbs.  Of course we all know tornadoes can twist or uproot full grown trees or even snap them in half.

This time of year it always makes me think of our own walk through life.  We want the blessings God has to give us but we dread the hardships and trials we must sometimes face.  We try to prepare for the worst but some things we just cannot prepare ourselves for.  We make every effort to do things on our own but sometimes the only thing we can do is pray. 

Life has a funny way of offering us blessings like rain and sometimes we even feel overrun by those blessings to the point of a burden similar to a flood.  Other times life withholds blessings and we feel as if we are going through a drought.

Sometimes we can see the trouble coming and we can get ourselves ready for it like farmers do to their trees during a light freeze, but sometimes the trouble is just too much for us to withstand like it is for the trees during a hard freeze.

And then life comes at us with things we have no control over...cancer, death, accidents, hate crimes, etc...and like a tree in a storm with hail, high winds or a tornado we must just endure until the storm passes.  But unlike the tree, while we endure the storm we can turn to God to find shelter for our spiritual self in the storm. 

While a storm may rage all around us, thanks to God, it does not have to rage within us.  With God's love, joy, and peace we can find refuge in any storm. 

Just as pecan farmers take inventory of the damage and as they do what needs to be done to salvage any kind of crop for the current year or future years, we too must pick up the pieces and move on after a storm in life. 

The Pruning Season

     This weekend I attended church and our pastor talked about fruitfulness.  As Christians we are told to be "fruitful".  While the pastor was referencing John Chapter 15 in which the author is talking about a vine and it's branches I kept thinking about pecan trees and their branches. 

     Just like the "gardener" prunes branches that do not bear fruit so do pecan farmers.  We cut back limbs that have died or those who have been broken by the storm and will soon die.  We hedge, thin and prune our trees in order for each tree to produce its largest amount of quality pecans possible. 

    Sometimes we prune and hedge the trees to allow more light to shine in on the remaining branches because without light the branches cannot bear fruit.  Sometimes we prune trees so they will grow in a way that will make the stronger and better able to withstand storms.  Sometimes we prune trees to make sure they don't overproduce one year and thus get so stressed they can't make a good quality crop.

     Pruning is not meant to hurt the tree.  It is meant to make the tree better and more fruitful.  The same is true with us in life.  The "gardener" (God) prunes us to make us better and more fruitful.  He might cut away branches that no longer serve us. He might cut branches that cause us to grow in a way that is not beneficial to us or that will produce unpleasing fruit.  He might cut out branches in order to make us stronger so we can endure during the storms of life. 

    While pruning is necessary it is never fun.  Pruning leaves scars both on trees and on people. 

     Just because a branch is gone does not mean it is forgotten.  Scars on trees and scars on and inside of people remind us of what we lost; of what we had to give up for the sake of growing stronger and producing better fruit. 
   Pecan farmers tend to prune and hedge at the end of winter; generally around February when the crop has been all harvested and spring is still a few months away.  In Texas spring can come early so we make sure as soon as harvest is over we start working on the trees to get them ready for the next season.  It is actually kind of sad to drive through the orchard in February/March and see all the trees with the blunt cuts from the blades of the machines.  The trees are bare of leaves and the tops and sides look like the agriculture version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  They look like they are in pain but what they really are is they are healing.
     The trees are healing from producing and harvesting the crop.  The pruning was done to aid in that healing.  It helps them from getting too big and out of shape.  The hedged parts will usually sprout new growth which is healthier and stronger than the older part of the tree.  The process that looks so ugly and painful is actually very beneficial to the trees.
     The same holds true for us.  Sometimes when we have just come off a very successful time in life (harvest) that is when God decides to prune us.  It may not seem logical at the time but He is really trying to help us.  Other times we are at our lowest points.  We are drained and physically exhausted and that is when God takes out His pruning knife and hacks away at our limbs.  These times can also be confusing because we are already at such a low point the idea of losing a part of us seems almost too much to bear, but God knows what we need.
     Just like with pecan trees, when the time is right, when spring once again returns to our lives, we see our growth take shape as God intended it.  We see our bodies, minds, and souls get stronger.  As the winds blow and the rains come we are able to bend but not break.  Before long the "fruits" of our lives begin to show and we prepare for another bountiful harvest time once again. 
   Unfortunately, just as pecan farmers must prune trees almost every year so too must God prune us more than once.  This process of pruning and growing happens over and over again.  We just need to be patient and trust the "gardener".