Pruning the Branch

I am a branch grown crooked,
needing more pruning.
My leaves shrivel and die.
My bark peels, no longer
abundantly brown.

Sometimes, I choose
to see only darkness,
in that moment, dying more.
When I choose
allow the warmth of the Spirit,
I grow in His Light.

A Master Gardener,
penetrates radiance into my heart:
The Spirit
of wisdom and understanding.
The Spirit
of counsel and power.
In that moment, I understand
the Spirit
of knowledge and fear of the Lord.

The Gardener cradles
this branch in His hands tenderly,
with a strength I can understand
only in deepest pain.

I can be alive once more
in the Lord’s Spirit holding this heart,
pruning me toward maximum growth.
I know who is holding me,
cradling this branch against
fear the world’s power.

This branch sees the world
through the eyes
of Him who holds her.