John 15:1-2 says, "I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener. 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."
"Get on the line!" "Cut the ball." "Stay low!" "Watch the hitters." These are all instructions I hear from my volleyball coach during games and practices. Some of the instructions I receive from her, I don't understand. Others can be painful at the time, but I trust her decisions. She knows the bad habits we must get rid of and the good techniques we must emphasize to take us to the next level. She is the coach and I know that whatever she tells me to do is for the benefit of myself as a player and the team as a whole. I know that her discipline and critiquing is really a blessing. My team would be nowhere without our coach.
This also applies to our Christian walk with God.
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Emily Van Lith
Each and every one of us will go through trials in our lives. We will receive instructions and we will be disciplined. These things will not always be easy; in fact, sometimes they will be extremely difficult. It is important to understand that God can use these experiences to prune us. He is shaping us to be more like him.
We will not always comprehend why certain things happen in our lives, but we need to trust God. He knows what he is doing. He is our "coach" in our everyday lives.
God sees the things in our lives that produce fruit. Fruit are the positive things that come from our decisions and actions. Therefore he will mold us, shape us and form us in ways so that we can produce even better, more bountiful fruit. As believers, we would be utterly lost without our coach. His discipline and critiquing truly are a blessing. We may question why we must go through difficulties or why God wants us to do certain things, but we must trust him. He cares about each one of us. Whatever we go through, he can use to make us more like him. Therefore trust God, and thank him for being your personal "coach."
Emily Van Lith is a senior at Our Redeemer's Christian School in Minot.