‘Fruitful’ happens to be my favorite word probably because it is an action word. Being fruitful is, for me, my ultimate goal, my passion. There are a number of steps, tasks, we have to accomplish along the way to being fruitful.
The first is to discover what fruit we are. We can’t expect to be a date if we are an olive on an olive tree. Yet, that’s precisely what we sometimes do. We ignore our own talents and gifts and attempt to make ourselves something else in order to please someone else, or ourselves, or because it is more glamorous than our assumptions on our own fruit. In the final analysis though – we can’t be something we aren’t and besides it wastes our time and talent. Simple example: we can’t expect to be a concert pianist if we don’t have the talent or don’t undertake the discipline to become a pianist or have the passion. It doesn’t mean that we can’t learn to play or enjoy it – one can always appreciate even if we can’t emulate it. But it’s crucial to understand and appreciate what we are.
The second task is to be available to all the influences that will help me be the best I can be. It can be difficult being a loner because you don’t have someone to talk with, provide feedback, learn other ways of being a great olive. While our gifts and talents provide us with a foundation, there are always subtleties to be learned.
The third task is to act. It makes little difference if you are the best you can be if you never act on it. This can be a tad scary but it does no good to hang on the tree until you rot. Granted you don’t want to be picked before the right time – it (we) need maturing. But to never act is a waste and a denial.
