Luke 3:9 Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
I live in an intentional community in a house on eight acres of land. There are five humans in our house. We pray, eat, and do social justice work together alongside fifteen chickens, a beehive, and the inhabitants of the surrounding forest. We have a vegetable garden, a medicinal herb garden, some berry bushes, and a few native fruit trees, including pawpaws and persimmons. Keeping everything in harmonious balance requires constant communication, watering, weeding, and remembering to turn on and off the electric fences. Our life is rich—and busy.
These passages about pruning and bearing fruit always seemed harsh to me until I started working with plants myself. I get it now: Why on earth would you ever keep a fruit tree that isn’t bearing fruit? We have bonfires beneath the stars, fueled by brush from our garden and deadfall cleared from the forest. May we have the grace and insight to do the same with those things that no longer serve our souls.
MOVING FORWARD: Is it time for a deep, autumnal cleaning? How will you cultivate growth in your inner life, home environment, and community?
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