Selah Moments by Elder Patty                                                 

Letting Go of Barrenness

"A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.' "  Luke 13:6-9 NKJV

Sometimes we allow barren (fruitless) situations to take up precious space in our lives; we invest our time, money, emotions and energy into things, projects and people only to discover years later, sometimes decades later, that we have wasted our resources on fruitless enterprises.   No wise person will invest time and energy into their work, business, ministry, people, etc. and not expect to see a harvest (return).  In fact, the Bible reads, “Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? …” I Corinthians 9:7. 

So what should we do about those barren areas in our lives?  Those unfruitful businesses, relationships, jobs, projects, etc.  In Luke 13, Jesus used a teaching parable to illustrate this point.  The first thing that we should take note of is that for three consecutive years the fig tree failed to produce fruit.  The very fact that the owner of the tree came looking for fruit lets us know that the tree was supposed to produce! It was the right season, time and condition for “fruit”, but he found none.  Barrenness is not of God!   After three years of the same results, the owner said cut the tree down because it is wasting good space.  However, the keeper of the vineyard, still hopeful, asked for a “grace period” of one more year.  During this “grace period” there were some specific actions he was to take.  First, he said I will dig around it.  In other words, he would remove any conditions such as unhealthy soil or weeds they may hinder its production.  Second, he said I will fertilize it; I will feed it with all of the nutrients that it needs to produce.  Nevertheless, if it still doesn’t bear fruit do as you say, cut it down!

What can we learn from this parable?  For one, we need to set reasonable time limits. Three years had already passed and each year the results were the same, unfruitfulness; another three years would have been unreasonable.  Do not waste years on unprofitable projects that should have already bore fruit! That is a trick of the enemy and he is a waster of life!  If you are compelled to give it another try (grace period), set a time limit and stick with it.  Second, don’t just sit waiting with your arms folded but during that “grace period” make sure that you are doing your part.  Remove any and all negative conditions (like doubt and fear), and then feed it with the things that you know are imperative to its healthy production (like prayer).  At the end of that period if it bears fruit, to God be the glory.  If not, LET IT GO!   It is a useless tree taking up good space in your life.  Letting go can be a hard thing but consider this, perhaps that barren tree is standing in the place of your true blessing! Selah!