DUNG IT!

And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it  

Luke 13:8 (KJV)

How often have I read this parable and not seen the lesson?

A certain man planted a fig tree.  He liked figs, and wanted a ready supply in his own backyard.   But it takes three to five years for the tree to mature and produce fruit.

For three years he looked for fruit and found none, so he told his gardener to cut it down.  But the gardener had a strategy to “encourage” the tree to produce fruit:  “Dig about it and dung it.”

“Dig about it” is pruning the roots to stimulate new growth of the part that feeds the tree.  

“Dung it” is literally throwing manure around the base of the tree, which will provide nourishment for the roots and also stimulate growth.

I know what dung is.  I know where it comes from.  But I don’t put it in the same category as Miracle-Gro®.

However, if I‘m slow to produce fruit in living for God, He may prescribe “pruning and dung-ing” to encourage my spiritual growth.  Pruning sounds painful—it’s not a haircut.  He’s cutting away stuff that gets in the way of my living for Him.  Dung is fertilizer (nourishment) to help me grow closer to Him and actually produce fruit for His kingdom. 

Dung is seriously unpleasant—the negative things in my life which prod me to draw near to God to seek His will and His way.

Dear Lord, at my advanced age, I am finally seeing that You do have a plan for my life, and will prune and dung me as needed to become the person You designed me to be.

© 2020     Sarah F. Strachan