Pruned or Withering? Lessons from the Herb garden.

I grow a garden in my backyard filled with some of my favorite herbs. I have thyme, rosemary, basil, lavender, parsley. But my absolute favorite is dill. Oh, how I love dill! When I lived in the United States, it was so easy to find. I always had plenty stocked in my fridge. But where I live now, it isn’t easily found in grocery stores, and it took me a long time to track down the seeds and start growing my own.

When I finally managed to grow my own dill, I thought to myself: “I’ll never run out.” As I observe my garden daily, I notice every inch of growth. The dill started off little, fragile, but soon shot up tall, and I was delighted by it. It was so gorgeous to look at that I actually avoided trimming it or even gathering some leaves to use. Then, to my surprise, what had been growing so strong and beautiful slowly began to lose its vibrant color.

Today the only thing left of it is a dry, bare stalk. When I look at that pot, all that remains is a memory of what it once was. I could try to blame it on lack of water, or even too much irrigation, but the only plant dying was the dill. The contrast between surrounding lush green pots and the dry dill catches the eye.

Then, I asked myself, why? And almost immediately, God answered my heart and taught me a vital lesson. It’s wise to observe God’s creation and reflect on His truth through it. ( Job 12:7-8; Romans 1:20)

The first scripture that flooded my mind was Psalm 119:96, “To every perfection I see a limit, but your commands are boundless.” For a perfectionist, it can feel hard to accept that even good things have their limits (And I knew that the Dill was seasonal, it would last for too long). Looking at that simple herb, I was reminded that earthly splendor does not last forever.

The only thing perfect and without limits is the Word of God, which endures forever.

The second realization went even deeper into my soul. That dill plant, despite seasonal, could have remained productive longer if I had continued harvesting its leaves and pruning its growth. That insight brought me to Jesus’s words in John 15 saying, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruits, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (Jn 15:1-2)

It was a big mistake not to prune my dill. In the same way, it is a great mistake to hold back the spiritual fruit God produces in our lives. That day I was reminded that as I grow, I must be willing to share some “leaves,” pour out my gifts and fruit so others can taste what God has grown within me. Otherwise, I will stagnate, stop receiving and eventually wither.

I was also reminded that pruning is necessary, and if I feel stuck or even dry, that might be because I’m clinging too tightly to old leaves instead of allowing my Gardener to prune me.

Then another question came: Isn’t God sovereign? He certainly is. But may we may not forget that we are His coworkers (see 1 Corinthians 3:6-9) and some things are our responsibility like pouring out what we have received by grace.

In hie sovereignty couldn’t He just do the pruning Himself? He surely can, and He does. That brought me to my third lesson: my Gardener might already be doing his pruning work. That’s why there are seasons where I feel restricted, held back, or slow in my walk with Him.

Now if the same feeling could reflect two different realities, my question is: how do I tell the difference between being pruned or slowly dying from spiritual neglect?

The answer was before my eyes, resting in the same text. A little further Jesus said: “Remain in me and I will remain in you” following that He said: “apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:4-5)

As I stick to God’s word and abide in Him, I can expect pruning, but I also can expect an abundance of fruit to follow. However, if I do not remain in Him when I cannot see the fruit, the absence of fruit may no longer be seasonal, but may mean that I’m drying up spiritually.

As the Lord once spoke to King Ahaz through prophet Isaiah: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” (Is 7:9)

If I do not stand firm and remain anchored in Christ during pruning moments (which are often painful) I will end up like my Dill, standing tall, perhaps carrying the dried silhouettes of past splendor, but without fresh life and fruit.

Let us not withhold what God deposited in us. Let us not cling to past accomplishments, recognition, or the memories of past glory. Let us hold fast to His word and remain in Him. Even when the season feels barren and dry, we can rest assured that He is simply pruning us, and in His perfect timing, we will bloom anew. Circumstances will shift, seasons will pass, human splendor will fade.

As Isaiah 40:8 reminds us, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God endures forever.” And so, his promises, therefore,

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”

(Isaiah 40:31)

“At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.”

(Job 14: 7)

We may not always see great things on the outside during pruning, but surely those who remain and wait are bearing fruit of trust and perseverance that will be greatly valued throughout eternity.