The fig tree in the Bible offers an amazing spiritual lesson
Frustrated at work? Consider the fig
A fruit often mentioned in the Bible offers an amazing spiritual lesson
Are you satisfied with your current job? Otherwise, you are not alone. According to the Pew Research Center, about a third of Americans consider the work they do "just a job to do it". If you are not exuding with passion for your 9 to 5, let me suggest you meditate on an apparently strange motivational tool: figs.
As I was writing my latest book, Taste and See: Discovering God among Butchers, Bakers and Fresh Food Makers, I traveled around the world to learn about food in the Bible and what these scriptures could teach us to live abundant lives. .
As part of this trip, I had the privilege of spending time with one of the world's leading fig growers. Kevin's generous California farm is like Disneyland for a frugivore like me, but it has also turned out to be kind of classy. When I stopped to consider the fig tree, I realized that it possessed the power to help all of us cultivate a greater sense of fulfillment wherever we are.
Figs are one of the most important fruits of the Bible, they sprout repeatedly and invite us to consider what they represent. A closer look reveals that figs in the scriptures are often used as a symbol of divine satisfaction.
Unlike most fruit trees, figs are multi-cropping, which means they are collected numerous times each year. The Hebrew word for picking figs, oreh, means "dawn light". As the ripe figs spoil quickly, the farmers get up with the morning sunrise hoping to see the ripe fruits hanging on the branches.
Just as those who harvest figs learn to live in a state of expectation, how would your life be different if you got up every morning waiting for God to show himself and satisfy you in the place where you work?
I recently spoke to a friend who just got a new job after an unemployment period. When I asked her if she was excited about this new adventure, she turned her hair and rolled her eyes.
"Meh. I don't live to work. I work for a living, ”he said. "This is only one way to pay the bills."
She is right that making your job the center of your life is a recipe for the workaholic, but I was also afraid that she had already concluded that it would be an insignificant experience for her before it even started. In a culture full of cynicism and skepticism, we often expect a new job to be nothing more than a means of achieving an end.
Experiencing deep satisfaction often takes time. Fig farming requires care and maintenance, fertilization and pruning. Sprouts that sprout as periscopes must be cut and many varieties will not bear fruit until the fourth year. One of the keys to job satisfaction is the spiritual discipline of patience. You may struggle to find fulfillment on the first day on the job or even on the 100th, but remember that hand-in-hand waiting and work go.
Instead of focusing on aspects of your job that are beyond your control, look for joy in your current situation. You decide that your professional satisfaction starts with you.
Cultivate a sense of expectation and patience on your journey to a fulfilling vocation. If you engage in these practices, rooted in the image of the fig tree, and you may find that the job of your dreams is what you are already in.