The owner said, “I look for fruit on this fig tree,
and I find none. Cut it down!”
The gardener replied, “Let it alone for one more year,
until I dig around it and put manure on it....”
—Luke 13.6-8
What if the task before you
is not to mine some vein of regret,
not to subtract or amputate,
not to punish yourself
or squeeze yourself into a shape
but to allow a gentle gardener
to dig around your roots,
to gift you with manure,
to trust in fruits
you don't yourself yet see,
to wait for hidden beauty
to emerge, grace
that is already there
to flower?
Can you leave your fear of the axe?
Can you let go long enough
to imagine blossoms?
Can you bless your blest, bare branches?
Can you let the gardener dig?
Can you hold still?
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
There have been enough times in my life when it was gentle gardening and not the rough cut that led to growth and fruit. This ties back into the ‘theme’ for the week which has been patience, taking the long view; being patient with others which likely means being patient with ourselves also and trusting that there will be growth, however slow.