This morning it was time to cut back the sunflowers. As I pruned, I thought about how God is pruning me, cutting off each fruitless, withering leaf from my busy life. When the process was done, the poor, planted sunflower looked pretty pathetic. I glanced over at the fresh cut sunflowers that I had in a vase and they looked like they were doing just great. They were smiling, resting, shimmering in their glory. And then I drew the obvious conclusion, “They are cut off.”
For the believer, we go through many barren, fruitless, awkward stages. With discipline and foresight, God cuts us back, grinds us down, and ushers us into an asymmetrical place. We feel off balance and out of sorts. 
We look longingly at our freshly cut neighbor in all their glory. But, we are on a journey.
God desires that ALL would be planted. Being planted means that Spring only comes once a year, and sometimes Spring is rainy. April showers bring May flowers, as the old song says. Believer, if you are in that freshly planted, awkward, asymmetrical stage today, longingly looking at your freshly cut friend in all their glory, please be reminded that you are on your way somewhere. The asymmetrical, barren, potted plant becomes a sunflower in all it’s golden glory. And because it’s rooted, even though its flower dies, it comes around again next Spring, with a new explosion of sunshine joy.
