Jesus is a master at telling stories that make a huge impact. In three short verses in Luke 13:6-9 Jesus tells a powerful story.... a man plants a fruit tree and for 3 years expectantly looks for fruit from it... but there is none, so the man instructs his gardener to cut it down since it is only taking up space. The gardener pleads for another year for the tree and commits to paying special attention to is and fertilizing it.... At the end of the year, he tells the man if it has fruit great and if not, then cut it down. However, Jesus doesn't tell us what happens.
Everyone needs a gardener! In the world we live in grace doesn't come naturally! We are quick to write people off, to get rid of people, to say "they are just taking up space." But when we write people off, when we treat them as if they are just taking up space, we and they harden our hearts and shut down the possibility of the effects of Jesus' grace in their lives.
Everyone needs a gardener! Who will pay special attention to us and encourage us to pay special attention to other people.
Jesus doesn't complete his story because cutting the tree down is NOT our task. It is God's! Our task is to pay special attention... to extend grace NOT judgement! God will judge.
Yet extending grace is not easy! Especially with some people! But it becomes easier if we will resign from the role of judge and allow God to have that one. If we focus our attention on paying special attention - extending grace - the same grace we want to have extended in our lives, we will be doing what the gardener invites us to do!
Everyone needs a gardener, to remind us of the need to extend grace to people and leave the judging to God!
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