Unfruitful Branches

Have you ever wondered sometimes why some things don't work out as you had intended?  Lately, I have been pondering the purpose of all of the little set backs in life.  One day, I was thinking of some recent seemingly "set-backs" and asked myself "am I doing something wrong to cause all of these issues?"   And then the Lord spoke to me and said "No, I am weeding out all of the bad vines that don't produce fruit in your life."  That was so comforting to me.  I don't know about everyone else, but when I work really hard on something and it does not turn out the way I intended, I am very critical on myself and try to analyze {and analyze.. And analyze some more for good measure :) } everything and look for what went wrong.  I think it is good to be aware of your actions and their effects, but I think that in some situations, The Lord is ridding your life of something that you may be spending unnecessary time or energy on.  Looking back on those "set-backs" I am very glad they did not turn out the way I had planned, otherwise I would be wasting my time on something that wouldn't bear any fruit in my life or the lives of other people I encounter.  So, whether your "set-back" is a quarrel with an acquaintance, a job opportunity that just doesn't work out or even something as simple as the department store is sold out of that pair of shoes you just HAVE to have!!, instead of getting upset and frustrated, take a step back and ask yourself, "Is this bearing fruit in my life? Is this making me a better person or am I wasting time and energy on something when I could be using this time to do something that does bear fruit for others ?" 

Here is a verse to remember:

"He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."  (John 15:2 NIV)