The Crab Apple Tree

Please do not let your life become like our crab apple tree!

There is a crab apple tree by our back door.  Last summer was our first summer in this house and we did not prune this tree.  Yesterday a branch of it fell down and blocked the access to our yard.

First thing this morning, my husband cut down the branch.  Then he dragged it off to the back yard.

There have been times that my life has been like this crab apple tree.

Yes, it is good to bear fruit in your life, but at times my life has born too much fruit and become too heavy.  At those times, all of that extra fruit just weighed me down and kept me from functioning.  It made me feel very depressed.

To get past those times in my life, I had to prune away the things that were dragging me down.  There were certain relationships, activities, and habits that I could no longer withstand the weight of.

Has your life ever become like our crab apple tree, weighed down by too many relationships, activities, and habits that cause you to fall down?  If it has, here is a possible strategy for you.

• Draw two columns

On the back sides of three sheets of paper, draw two columns.  Label one piece of paper relationships, another activities, and another habits.

• Write

At the top of each piece of paper, write one of these words: relationships, activities, and habits.

• List

On the front of the relationships piece of paper, list all of your relationships.

Carefully consider each one, and make an asterisk next to the ones that weigh you down.

Then on the back side of this piece of paper, list the relationships that weigh you down in the first column.  After careful thought, write your options for each of these relationships that weigh you down.

• Think

Set this paper aside for a few hours or even a whole day to think about these relationships and your options.  Then pick it up and read it again.  This time try to make a decision about what to do about one of these relationships.  Repeat this step until have made decisions about each relationship.

• Repeat

Finally, repeat this process for the other two categories, activities and habits.

***

When your life becomes like our tree, you will probably feel more depressed and anxious than you normally do.

Please don’t let your life become too overladen.

Let the encouraging words in these bobbiejrae posts help you

soar like an eagle above life’s storms.

Honor a special person!

Help me keep my promise.

Is your child going back to school?

Don’t let these vampires cost you money!

Enjoy BJ’s encouraging words

on bobbiejrae.com.

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