Written by Jeremy Hawkins
Cutting Things Back
With fall fully upon us, the focus in my yard has turned to cleaning out the garden, winterizing the sprinklers, pruning things back, raking leaves, and the like, so that everything is ready to grow again next year. The idea of cutting things back to help them grow has always been intriguing to me. It reminds me of this story told by Hugh B. Brown in 1971:
The Currant Bush
A Little Clump of Stumps
“I was living up in Canada. I had purchased a farm. It was run down. I went out one morning and saw a currant bush. It had grown up over six feet high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no currants. I was raised on a fruit farm in Salt Lake before we went to Canada, and I knew what ought to happen to that currant bush. So I got some pruning shears and went after it, and I cut it down, and pruned it, and clipped it back until there was nothing left but a little clump of stumps.
How Could You Do This?
It was just coming daylight, and I thought I saw on top of each of these little stumps what appeared to be a tear, and I thought the currant bush was crying. I was kind of simple minded (and I haven’t entirely gotten over it), and I looked at it, and smiled, and said, “What are you crying about?” You know, I thought I heard that currant bush talk. And I thought I heard it say this: “How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me, because I didn’t make what I should have made. How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”
I Am The Gardener Here
That’s what I thought I heard the currant bush say, and I thought it so much that I answered. I said, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and some day, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down, for caring enough about me to hurt me. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.’”
Mr. Brown went on to relate that several years later he was passed up for a military promotion because of his religious affiliation. He recounted shaking his hand at God and saying, “How could you do this to me!?” He heard his voice saying, “I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be.” He meekly took the correction, humbly bowed his head, and said, “Thank you for loving me enough to cut me down.”
Experiences That Shape Us
Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? Staisha Sheffield did. Or better said, does. In a recent podcast,2 Staisha shared lessons learned from the challenges associated with raising a son born with severe medical needs. Near the end of the podcast, the interviewer asked how the experiences of being raised with a small orchard relate to life now. Staisha described her childhood experiences with pruning, a task she did not care for. She always felt like the pruning process hurt the trees. However, she remembered her father telling her that pruning stimulates growth. The process, which needs to be done yearly, shapes the plant into a more productive tree. Staisha noted that it’s become easy for her to see the experiences with her son doing the same for her. They are shaping her to become a more productive wife, mother, daughter, and friend with each passing year.
Harsh But Necessary For Personal Growth
The act of pruning, often seen as a harsh necessity, is a powerful metaphor for personal growth. A gardener prunes a plant to encourage healthier, more fruitful growth. Likewise, life’s challenges can serve as a form of pruning, shaping us into our best selves. Hugh B. Brown’s anecdote of the currant bush highlights the initial pain of pruning but ultimately emphasizes the long-term benefits. Similarly, Staisha Sheffield’s experiences with her son and childhood orchard illustrate the importance of embracing adversity as a catalyst for growth. By recognizing the pruning process in our own lives, we can develop resilience, gratitude, and a deeper understanding of our purpose.
What experiences with pruning have you experienced that you now see as a blessing versus a bother?
- Brown HB. The Currant Bush. The New Era. 1973;Jan. Available at: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/1973/01/the-currant-bush?lang=eng. ↩︎
- https://www.ldsliving.com/all-in/staisha-sheffield-the-life-and-ministry-of-a-beautiful-baby-boy ↩︎
