Evangelical
Sisterhood of Mary

God the Father has a goal for our lives. He does not intend our lives to be barren. On the contrary, we are to produce abundant fruit. This is why the Father comes to us as the gardener. Wisely He cuts back the branches, so that they do not bear fruit in the first years. The more He prunes, the more fruit they will bear in years to come. Jesus has given us this picture for those times when we seem to be bearing no fruit. Our lives seem to consist only of suffering. It is as if we were being reduced to nothing. In such times we should rejoice in the assurance that we are being prepared for great fruitfulness.

Taken from Father of Comfort by M. Basilea Schlink