I don’t know too much about fig trees but the one in the Gospel this Sunday is troublesome because it’s not bearing fruit. Did you ever have an idea that doesn’t seem to come to fruition, or a dream that doesn’t quite come true, or a plan that keeps falling flat? Welcome to life. But in our life with Jesus who dies so that we may live forever, we can bloom right where we are planted. We often think that “if it isn’t happening, I have to move on!” But the mandate in the Gospel is to wait and give the tree (idea, dream) some time: “Leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future.”
So, I believe the learning from this is: keep on coming up with ideas, keep on dreaming, but leave the planning to God and let God rain down, feed us, and we will blossom. In other words: think with God, dream with God, and let God plan how it will come true.
Sometimes we have to remain a little dry and thirsty until we are properly nourished for greater moments. The story of Jesus in this sacred season of Lent is all about “unless a grain of wheat shall fall upon the ground and die” there is little hope of new life springing forth. Let Jesus, whose life is poured out for our sake, be the food and drink we need to nourish us for what God has in store. Stay where you are, spring is here, slow down, and wait with God who will love us into our best tomorrow.
Praying that you will know the Lord in the silence and the mystery of where you are planted,
