The alertness created when silence is broken… was what I felt the day I heard and saw an ambulance arriving to take a person from a house nearby at the peak of the pandemic.  As the siren broke the silence of isolation indoors, I sensed my vulnerability but also God’s presence in the midst of all of it. That is the pruning and nurturing God does in His children.

Pruning is an intentional process of removing what has grown that can be harmful.  Like many of us, I was pruned of things I paid attention to in the past that are not relevant for life. I longed for the contact of loved ones, including those I took for granted. The silence of grief and loss has visited all of us in one way or another. But God invited me to ‘come and sit’ with Him under His tree of grace.

My time with God in communion increased as I rediscovered and shared daily countdowns of His blessings and faithfulness to me through His word. I later realized how the pruning of personal isolation bore fruit for the Kingdom.  I gained personal focus and regained purpose in ministry.

Pay attention to the sounds of His pruning in your life.  They break the silence of indifference. His loving presence in the process strengthens us so we can bear more fruit until that day… the day when He will come in the clouds, and the silence of his patience for humanity will be broken.

written by Major Janet Gonzalez, Secretary for Spiritual Life Development, USA East