Principal's Ponderings

A Garden Worth Tending

“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.” — John 15:1–2

As spring commenced late last term, I found myself spending some time outside in the garden, tackling a few jobs that had been neglected over winter. The weeds had started creeping into the garden beds and on our block. Then I noticed plants needed cutting back and there were areas that needed some attention before everything really began growing again. One particular job was removing those nasty prickly weeds (Chad's name for them!) that seem to appear from nowhere - every year! Left alone, they quickly grow into large, thorny 'trees' that become increasingly difficult to remove, not to mention painful with the smallest of touches to a finger. What begins as something small and seemingly harmless can eventually take over an entire block. I must admit, I can be very good at procrastinating when it comes to getting outside and starting these jobs. Yet, whenever I do go outside and attend to them, I am reminded of how much I actually enjoy it. Being outdoors. Tidying. Restoring. Making things right again. There is something satisfying about clearing away what should not be there and giving the garden room to flourish. (It is therapeutic!)

As I was pulling out these weeds, some of which had already developed surprisingly deep roots, I found myself reflecting on how often this is true in my own life. How easily do we allow things to creep into our lives that are not what the Lord desires for us? Things that begin so small we barely notice them, yet over time take up more space, consume our attention and begin to choke out the good. Perhaps it's busyness, worry, resentment, unhealthy habits or simply allowing things to take priority over our relationship with Jesus. Stealing time. Not always things that seem particularly bad, but things that quietly distract us from what matters most.

I have written on this multiple times this year as it's really been an important passage of scripture this year. In John 15, Jesus reminds us that He is the vine and His Father is the gardener. What struck me again was that even the branches bearing good fruit need pruning. Not because they are failing, but because there is more fruit to come! I find that both challenging and encouraging. I don't want to live a life where there is good fruit growing, yet weeds are quietly taking hold around it, preventing me from becoming all that the Lord desires. I don't want to become so comfortable with what is already good that I stop allowing Him to work in the areas that need attention. And I wonder what this means for us as parents and as a school community. What are we modelling to our children? Are we showing them that following Jesus involves more than simply doing good things? That it also means examining our hearts, making changes, letting go of things and allowing God to shape us?

Hebrews 12:1 encourages us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” What a wonderful reminder that not everything holding us back is necessarily obvious. Sometimes we need to stop long enough to recognise what has been growing around us. The longer those weeds remain, the deeper their roots become, and the harder they are to remove.

Perhaps this spring is a wonderful opportunity to allow the Lord to tend the garden of our hearts. Possibly that's what being wholehearted really means too. To prayerfully ask Him what needs removing, what needs pruning and what needs nurturing. What have we allowed to grow in our lives that might be preventing something far greater from flourishing?

My prayer is that we would never become so content with the good fruit already growing that we resist the work God still wants to do in us. May we remain close to Jesus, willing to be shaped by Him, and allow our lives to flourish in ways that honour Him and bless those around us. After all, the purpose of a flourishing garden is not simply to look beautiful, but to bear fruit.

In weeding and bearing fruit,

Chad