Pruning Mistletoe: Letting Go of Spiritual Weights

Riding along the roads between Florida and Texas this past week gave me plenty of time to view the bare trees of winter. They lined the roadways, their branches intertwined and reaching skyward, some straight, others gnarled and aged. I enjoyed the beauty of their architecture, and I am always amazed at the uniqueness and variety of their shapes and sizes. The storms the trees have weathered were evident in the scars the trunks and branches showed. Some were bent and twisted while other remained straight. Still others lived with only parts of their branches, having lost large sections to wind or fire.

On this trip, I especially noticed the prevalence of mistletoe in the branches of the trees. In some areas the trees mistletoe thrived in almost every tree.

We think of mistletoe as a decoration around Christmas time, but it is a parasite that lives off of trees. While it may not normally cause significant harm to a healthy tree, it does pull water and nutrients from the tree. If the infestation becomes heavy enough or if the tree is weakened by drought or other problems, the mistletoe can lead to further problems for the tree.

I thought about all that mistletoe in those trees as we were driving.

And I thought about the verses in Hebrews 12.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race what is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1 – 2, KJV).

The mistletoe in the trees reminded me of the weights and sins that attach themselves to my life. They may be able to hide when everything is going well – during the spring and the summer days – when times are good. Still, they are there pulling spiritual strength, sapping energy from my spiritual life. When the winter days, the days of trial come, they become more visible just like those clumps of mistletoe in the trees. They are not only visible, but they are using up spiritual strength needed to weather the days of trial.

What are those weights I need to lay aside? They are the distractions that keep me from my Bible or prayer or God’s calling on my life. They may be habits that are hindering my walk with God. The sin which so easily besets us could be a hurt that has festered into bitterness or a refusal to forgive someone. Perhaps it is an attitude that I know is contrary to God’s word.

Whatever the weight or sin is, now is the time to lay it aside so that we can run with patience the race that God has set before us.

God has given us a brand new year full of hope and new opportunities. This is a great time to clip the mistletoe and begin with lives uncluttered by the weights and sins of the past. We have a Master Gardener who is great at pruning (John 15), and He is more than willing to help us if we ask.

Think About It –

Do you have any mistletoe growing in your life that needs pruning?

Father, as I enter this new year, show me the weights that I need to lay down, the things that I am carrying that are keeping me from fully following You. Reveal any sin that I need to confess and cleanse my heart. Let me run Your race with patience this year, Lord, following only You. In Jesus’ name I pray.