Reluctant Pruner

I have let my tomato plants grow for too long without pruning.  I don't like to prune.  I have made many mistakes in the past.  There I am pruning away when all of a sudden there is cut branch in my hand with little tomatoes growing on the end.  For the gifted gardener, pruning is simple and enjoyable. They understand that every sucker left on the vine takes valuable energy and resources away from the growing fruit.  The scriptures often use the concept of pruning.  In Jacob 5...

And the Lord of the vineyard caused that it should be digged about, and pruned, and nourished, saying unto his servant:  It grieveth me that I should lose this tree; wherefore, that perhaps I might preserve the roots thereof that they perish not, that I might preserve them unto myself, I have done this thing.

Even the Lord does not enjoy the process of cutting back but has a perfect understanding of how essential it is for his children to experience this process.  Today I will prune my tomatoes so that I will in fact have tomatoes at the end of the season!

A Little Lesson:

I am grateful I only have to prune tomato plants and grapevines, the job of pruning my children I will gladly leave up to the Lord.  As for loving them and teaching them...I'm on it!