6 a.m. Conversations

Let me tell you something about growth…it’s beautiful but it can get messy.

You ever seen a plant that’s healthy but untrimmed? It starts leaning, twisting, taking up too much space. Leaves everywhere, roots fighting for room. It’s alive, but it’s out of order. That’s how love gets when you stop pruning.

See, everybody wants the blooming part, the pictures, the anniversaries, the “we made it” glow. But not many people want the scissors.

Pruning means cutting things that used to work but don’t fit anymore.
Old habits.
Toxic reactions.
Silent grudges.
That “I’ll bring this up again in the next argument” folder you keep tucked away in your spirit. Yup, that too.

When you love somebody long enough, you realize growth doesn’t just mean adding. It means editing.

I remember a time when we hit that good, comfortable season. We weren’t arguing but something felt off. The laughter wasn’t as loud, and the days started feeling repetitive.

She called me one morning and said, “We do a lot, but we don’t connect like we used to. Something feels off.” And she was right. We were watering the plant, but we weren’t trimming it. We were still growing, just in different directions.

So we started pruning.
We cut out unnecessary distractions. The mindless scrolling, the overpacked schedules, the “I’m tired, maybe tomorrow” energy.
And you know what happened? The love started to breathe.

Here’s the truth, pruning ain’t punishment, it’s protection.
God doesn’t prune what’s dead. He prunes what’s alive. Because He knows if you don’t cut back a little, what’s healthy can still choke itself.

And that’s the same with love.
Sometimes you have to stop and ask, “What in us needs trimming?”
Maybe it’s the pride that keeps you from apologizing first.
Maybe it’s the attitude that makes every disagreement sound like disrespect.
Maybe it’s the fear of being vulnerable because it’s safer to joke than be honest.

Whatever it is, cut it back. Gently, but consistently.

Because love without pruning gets crowded. You lose sight of the beauty in the mess. But when you trim with care, you make room for new growth, deeper laughter, fresher peace, stronger connection.

So, yeah, pruning hurts sometimes. But so does staying tangled.

Ponder on this, what needs trimming in your relationship, not because it’s broken but because it’s crowding the good things God’s trying to grow?

Loving by HIS Word–“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener…every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful.”   John 15:1–2God’s love shows us the pattern. Pruning isn’t loss, it’s preparation. When you cut back with intention, you make room for fruit you didn’t even know was possible.

6 a.m. Quote–“Love doesn’t grow by adding more, it grows by trimming what no longer fits.”

Marlon Dean–6 a.m. Conversations “Where love meets faith, one day at a time”