I've got good news and bad news.

It all depends on how you look at it.

I know I can be long-winded at times. (Just ask my friends.) So I’m going to try and keep today’s nugget short. And honestly, it really speaks for itself.

I’m continuing to work my way through Eugene Peterson’s classic, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. As I read through it today, he referenced John 15:2 to make a point that we Christians are constantly going through pruning.

And when I read it, I had an epiphany.

First, here’s the verse: “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.”

OK, so here’s what I wrote down as soon as I read that. It’s both good news and bad news:

“It’s not if you will be cut, but rather for what purpose.”

Bad news: You will be cut. Good news: You will be cut. Best news: You get to choose going forward “why.”

Think about that for a second. John 15:2 makes it clear we will be cut. It’s not an “if” it’s a “when.” And yet, I think so many of us try to run away fro…