Don’t expect figs in the winter

Editor:

We can all probably think of an individual or group of people who irritates, frustrates or even infuriates us. We may spend time and energy contemplating and fuming about their misguided behavior or ideology and want to do something to change them.

There’s an old saying, “Don’t expect figs in the winter.” It means to not expect something to behave contrary to its nature. Figs do not grow in winter and nothing can change that in the natural. Fomenting about it will accomplish nothing but strife and still no figs will be forthcoming until their ordained growing season (unless they’re in a greenhouse – but we’ll get to that). 

Similarly, when others engage in what we consider misguided behavior or skewed ideology, trying to change them head-on is a futile effort. Instead, that same time and energy could be better spent on leaving that person or group of people to God and ponder what we need to change about ourselves.

Trying to change someone else can even lead to volatile actions. What we can change is how we react to the behavior of others. How we react in the moment to something shows who we really are – not how we react when we have time to think about how to react. Whoa – that’s a humbling thought, eh? 

Sometimes there’s still the need to think about how to react but there’s the self-searching element of how we reacted at first even when no one else knew it. That self-examination can lead to better outcomes – including not allowing ourselves to devolve into hatred to the point of acting out on our disdain. Such contemplation could lead to constructive conviction instead of potential judicial conviction and help us to become better versions of ourselves.

Those people may continue to irritate us and keep repeating the behavior we don’t like. But we each have a choice to model rational behavior and calm down to humility. By humbly turning others – and ourselves – over to God for His divine intervention and transformation instead of trying to do that in our own self-perceived strength, the day could come when He leads them to also do this self-examination.  Ultimately, recognition of truth can then evolve and none of us will devolve into angry rhetoric or actions.

Just so you know, I’m speaking to myself as well as to anyone out there reading this.

Suggestion: After turning yourself and others over to God for His course correction, keep a journal of the day(s) you did that and watch Him work in all of us. It’s difficult to hate someone you’re praying for – including yourself.

That is the time of the figs in the greenhouse – growing into good fruit instead of dying on the vine (tree) out there gasping for sustenance as we foment for the change of others. Instead, pray them and yourself into God’s greenhouse of warmth and nourishment and watch as we all blossom into reasonable, rational, stable human beings who receive the truth and are set free.

Fae Davidson