"Won't God just leave us alone for a little while?"

Yes, I did actually say that to my husband LAST NIGHT! Ok, I admit, I was being funny... kinda. What I meant by that was really a self-righteous statement like "God, I'm serving you... stop asking me to 'do more or harder things' and give me a break." I meant it funny at the time, but God showed me that really part of my heart felt that way. Part of me really REALLY REALLY wants to just cruise for a while. Afterall, there can't be anything THAT BAD about the way I'm doing life. Then today... I opened up my devotional, and here's what it said...

"Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." John 15:2

"A child of God was once overwhelmed by the number of afflictions that seemed to target her. (now, this is me... I'm not saying I have afflictions, because I don't... but the stretching of my faith... or getting further into the deep end is my "affliction" in this passage) As she walked past a vineyard during the rich glow of autumn, she noticed its untrimmed appearance and the abundance of leaves still on the vines. The ground had been overtaken by a tangle of weeds and grass, and the entire place appeared totally unkept. While she pondered the sight, the heavenly Gardener whispered such a precious message to her that she could not help but share it.

The message was this: 'My dear child, are you questioning the number of trials in your life? Remember the vineyard and learn from it. The gardner stops pruning and trimming the vine or weeding the soil only when he expects nothing more form the vine during that season. He leaves it alone, because its fruitfulness is gone and further effort now would yield no profit. In the same way, freedom from suffering leads to uselessness. Do you want me to stop pruning your life? Shall I leave you alone?' Then her heart cried, 'No!' " .... Streams in the Desert

So, no... I don't want to be "left alone"... I want to go through the pruning process so that I can bear more fruit... So glad He reveals himself to me even about the silly things that fly out of my mouth... but are apparently deeper in my heart than realized.