“Wait till next year!”

That was the rallying cry of fans of major league baseball’s Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s and 1950s. These great Dodger teams were repeatedly stymied in their attempts for a World Series title, usually at the hands of their crosstown rival, the New York Yankees. Eventually, the Dodgers broke through, triumphing in an epic seven-game series against the Yankees in 1955.

I thought of these Dodgers of yore recently when I read from Luke 13, particularly verses 6-9. Here, Jesus tells the story of a man who planted a fig tree in his vineyard. For three years, he came looking for fruit but found none. Frustrated, he tells the vinedresser, “Look, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and I haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?” But then, the vinedresser steps in. He pleads, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! But if not, then cut it down.”   

The fans of the Dodgers were frustrated by the failure of their team to come out on top, but they did not give up on them. They were known as one of the most rabid fan bases in baseball. Their patience was finally rewarded with the 1955 title.

This patience is nothing compared to the patience our God has with each of us. I am regularly that fig tree, failing to bear fruit for the Kingdom despite all the opportunities in front of me, through sins of commission as well as sins of omission. Yet I have not been “cut down”. God, through His grace, continues to provide opportunities for faith and service. It’s as if He has proclaimed “Wait till next year” on my behalf.

So, if you feel like you’ve had your share of “wait till next year” moments, if you feel like you’ve squandered your chances, take heart. Remember the fig tree. Remember the vinedresser. God’s patience is not exhausted. He is still working with us, still offering us the chance to grow, to change, to bear fruit. He’s still saying, “Let it alone for one more year.” Let us use that time wisely.