Between Rest and Growth
At the gym recently, I met a man who also turns out to live just up the street from me. Really nice guy and very talkative. Turns out he used to be very involved in a church, but now has nothing to do with it. When I look at my life, it is amazing that I have not taken the same path. At times I have put God on the shelf, but realize that I still felt connected to whatever I think and feel is God. I describe it as a developmental process. I would say it moves at a snail pace, but it does move and “grow” in many different ways. Sometimes I am surprised.
I usually check out the Westar Scholars analysis of something like the Parable of the Fig Tree. They rarely indicate that we actually have Jesus’ words as written in the gospels. However, if they do feel it may be, it is printed in red or pink print. I clearly did not expect to find it printed in pink, and I happen to like that. This parable is only in Luke. What I remember about fig trees in the Bible is Mark’s (also Matthew’s) story of Jesus cursing the fig tree and it dying. It is written not as a parable but as an event and seems to reflect the traditional Old Testament God. It probably was borrowed by the writer to illustrate a point of faith. I see Luke providing something different. There is hope that with a little more care, the tree may recover. It gets a second chance and I think I have been given many second chances. That is the grace of the New Testament God, and I am grateful. I think I will continue to grow, just slowly.
Prayer: Thank you God for giving me second chances, and help me to give second chances to others. Amen
Bill Snorf