Emphasis Preaching Journal

New Testament Scholar N.T. Wright tells of learning to prune roses. He learned how when he was quite young. He came to realize that a rose bush on its own eventually would become straggly, tangled, and produce only mediocre roses. He became expert in pruning the roses so that they would grow in the right direction and to the right end. Pruning helped the rose bushes preserve their energy and become more productive. In other words, he learned to prune the roses to help them become their true selves.