The Loneliness of Pruning
- Jessica Tate
- Feb 22
- 1 min read
I'm in a place of pruning in my life -
where connected branches of people and things are being removed.
Familiar faces are now strange, known habits are forgotten.
People of me... pieces of me... gone.
Why is growth accompanied by a bare season?
No one talks about the pain of cutting and being cut.
How severance brings about an isolation that remains untold.
While pruning removes the dead, diseased, or damaged,
it's disappointing to realize some of life's enjoyments were those exact things.
Was I hanging on to what was dead? Was I accepting of the diseased?
Did I find comfort in damage?
And now that it's gone, why does the healthy me,
the growing me,
feel so lonely?
Perfect! I LOVE THIS!!
Progression and growth can be painful.
Now you know you're grown beyond that comfort zone - comfortable things, comfortable places, people who comforted you when you were in a stagnate (dead or diseased) state of mind that you have grown out of, but they are still there. Leave them be!
What may seem line a sad place of isolation is your brain attempting to convince you 'things were really good in that comfort zone'. Leave it be!
Your horizon is still ahead of you.
Please allow me to share something I wrote a few years ago that may relate to this post, and if other people cannot move beyond cravings like you can, LEAVE THEM BE!!
Yeah this is sooooo real. I think sometimes pruning feels lonely because the branches gave us shade, even if they weren’t healthy. And shade is comfortable. Now growth can be quiet and painful, but it makes room for the fruit that couldn’t grow before. Yet and still we may need to mourn what we lost, even if it doesn’t suit us anymore.
This is so real. Felt every word. I’ve been navigating this season for a while. It’s often confusing but I know God has a purpose in everything he’s doing in us. Can’t wait to see what new life sprouts up out of this season for us. 🫶🏿
Ugh, this is so relatable.
While shedding feels painful and raw like open wounds, it ignites the phase of rejuvenation and epithelialization. New life and cells begin to emerge. The blessing comes through healing. Pruning of the old things has made you stronger, tougher and wiser. God is with you. You are never alone. You are covered. ♥️