Just looking at the thorns in this picture made me believe my client’s recent description of how she pruned the rose bushes in her yard. She said she got rid of all the discolored blossoms as well as the branches that had grown astray over the season. Even though the rosebush seemed to be thriving, she knew it was better for the plant to cut it back to allow new growth to take place.
It wasn’t much of a leap in the conversation from roses to clients. This business owner had recently cut out a significant crop of government-sponsored customers for her services. They represented a large, albeit underpaying portion of her population. There was also a longer collection cycle which hindered her cash flow.
Although letting go of this reliable but unsatisfying account was a painful process, my client knew that in order to grow her company the way she envisioned it, it was a necessary step to take.
Business advisers often recommend letting go of the bottom 10% of your business annually in order to make room for new, higher-paying clientele. It can be a distressing and unpleasant activity, but the beauty on the other side of the pain is glorious.
This is a wonderful reminder of a principle that applies in life as well as in business, and it’s so resonant with your “soul proprietor” philosophy. Certainly there is scriptural support for pruning in our spiritual lives too.
@Elizabeth
Thank you. I’m not familiar with the scriptural support. Please share the passage(s) you’re referring to. I’d love to learn more.
Jane, the main one I was thinking of was John 15: 1-2. The New International Bible says it this way:
The Vine and the Branches
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.
Footnotes:
1. John 15:2 The Greek for prunes also means cleans.
The analogy of the Christian life to the growth of the vine was made beautifully by Bruce Wilkinson in his book “Secrets of the Vine: Breaking Through to Abundance.” The analogy holds not just for our need for pruning but also for the importance of staying connected to the vine if we want to bear fruit.
The main one I was thinking about was this:
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:1-2 (New King James Version)
@Heartspoken50 and Elizabeth
Thank you for enriching this post with these quotations. How reassuring to know that I am being pruned as well for future growth.