Blueberries and Brambles

Recently, my husband and I tore out brambles that had completely taken over our blueberry garden bed. We had allowed them to grow last year, because they do produce a small fruit like a blackberry. However, the sharp thorns on these vines are the type that seemingly lunge toward you if you come anywhere near them to try and pick the berries. The fruit is very small, mostly seed, with very little flesh, and extremely tart. Since we had neglected to deal with these wicked weeds as soon as they started sprouting, they all but killed our poor blueberry bushes. Last year, an encounter with these vicious vines proved excruciating. I was trying to get to the blueberries and became entangled in the thorns. The harder I tried to free myself, the more entangled I became. After that, we decided that we would remove them and try to help our blueberries recover. Horace cut the thorny stems close to the ground, so they couldn’t hurt me. I went behind him and dug out the roots, which were shallow and far reaching, with many new bramble shoots forming along every few inches or so. Thankfully, it was fairly easy and extremely satisfying to rip the roots out of the ground, since my husband had cut down all the thorny stems. It is my hope that with a little TLC, the blueberries will recover and grow again, as they were meant to do when we first planted them. 

Recently, God has been addressing thorny bramble roots in my own heart - roots that had “tip-toed” in so quietly and sneakily, that I didn’t even notice their presence. Like my husband chopping out those thorny vines, God’s Holy Spirit truth swooped in without hesitation, chopping down these fast growing heart brambles, and yanking them completely out. Roots of bitterness, hopelessness, shame, and sorrow were brought to light and destroyed, leaving healthy new ground for the fruit that God planted to be nourished and to grow. 

Isn’t it amazing how quickly we can become bound by these thorny growths? Our blueberry bed is clear for now, but we will be watching for new sprouts. This is true for our hearts, as well. We must be on the lookout for these deceitful, fast-growing, thorny vines, both in ourselves and in each other. This is one of many reasons why it’s so important to remain in intimate relationship with Jesus and with one another - not just going through the motions, but deep, personal, soul-connecting intimacy. It is my hope that we will all search our hearts for any deceitful brambles that don’t belong there, allow God to remove them, and renew our intimacy with Jesus and his church. Kingdom fruit is so beautiful and sweet!

Watch over each other to make sure that no one misses the revelation of God’s grace. And make sure no one lives with a root of bitterness  sprouting within them which will only cause trouble and poison the hearts of many. Hebrews 12:15 TPT