Planted

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Planted

Fig   Tree

Fruitless   Exhausted   Barren

Cultivate It And Fertilize

Reborn

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 13: 8b to 9

'Leave this fig tree for a year.

I will cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it.

It could bear fruit in the future even though it has not borne fruit for three years.

If it does not bear any fruit in the future, then you can cut it down.'

Reflection

Are you a patient person?

How long would you wait for your fig tree to bear fruit?

This can be a very difficult call for us. We don't want to waste a lot of energy and effort on a fig tree, a project, a relationship, or a cause that doesn't seem to be fruitful. Most of us like and are used to instant results.

Jesus is pointing out in this parable from Luke that patience can be a good thing. Our first step is the planting. We have to plant our tree with much care.

We need that same care in all of our relationships. Some friendships do not last because we have not planted well, we have not been honest, or we have not communicated clearly.

The fig tree can produce some delicious fruit. We can all reflect on some wonderful friendships we have experienced that have brought us much joy. Careful planting in both cases is the important first step.

When our tree or our relationships are fruitless, we have decisions to make. We know that there is a problem. We can feel exhausted and barren. As we examine the soil around our fig tree, we look at the quality of the soil.

If the tree has been planted deep enough and if it has been properly watered, we can look at other issues. We can cultivate it and fertilize it and see if this makes a difference.

This is important in our relationships as well. We have to spend time with our friends and fertilize our time together with good listening.

My personal experience with fig trees bears that out. In my first year there was very little growth. Then gradually the fig tree blossomed, and I was able to plant others from the roots of the first one and even give some away.

Now my first fig tree is huge, and I've had to trim it back or else it would take up my whole front yard. It was as if the tree was reborn after that first disappointing year.

During that first year, several people advised me to get rid of the fig tree. They thought it would never grow. A recipe of cultivation with fertilizer and a dose of patience paid off. The number of figs I get each year are amazing. I am able to give many away to others.

Our relationships with people and God are very much like this. We have to make sure our roots are planted deeply. We have to wait patiently for our friendships to develop. We have to take time to cultivate and fertilize.

It is important to be persistent because those relationships can be reborn with enough patience and effort. How many times have we all been surprised when we meet someone after twenty years and discover new aspects of personality, character, and insight that we didn't notice? Our patience in sticking with the relationship can pay off and bear much fruit. 

Enjoy your daily planting!

1. Do you feel that you are a patient person?

2. Do you like to see instant results?

3. Why have some of your friendships fallen apart?

4. How can your relationships with God and your friends be reborn?

5. What do you feel as you contemplate Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)