Pruning Roses as metaphor. I have been struggling to get the rose bushes to produce. This year has been the best, but still they struggle. I was talking to a Christian last Sunday who said he has 78 rose bushes and it took him 2 hours on Sunday afternoon to prune them all. So I asked him the secret. He said when you have a stem that isn’t producing, cut it off. But don’t just cut it all off; only cut off the part that is unproductive. He said to guide your sight down the stem to a small growth that looks similar to a small pea. He said to cut 1/4″ to 1/2″ above that and the new growth from that point will produce the beautiful flowers.

This is a metaphor for good parenting. Parents have an idea for the potential in a child. They know there’s going to be produce if the child is pruned from time to time to cut off what is unproductive. So nurture the good. Fertilize, water, and de-weed regularly. And when the child is acting out, nip it in the bud. When a child sasses or hits, nip it in the bud. When a child gives a disrespectful flash in the eyes, nip it in the bud. And with lots of care and patience, and with your good example, the child will grow to be a thing of beauty.

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