Worth the Wait

Plants, like children, may take a while to fully bloom. Even though you till the soil and add the best amendments that you can; you choose the best spot and ward off all manner of pests; yet still the plant must take root.

It must send out its own rootlets and connect with the soil in ways you cannot see. Sometimes it’s quick. And other times not.

A dark pink rhododendron I planted several years ago finally decided to make a show this year. And wow, what a show! Had it done it the first year, I might not have the thrill that this delayed gratification has given me. There’s just something satisfying when one keeps the faith. Learns patience. Believes. Trims. And doesn’t give up.

In Hebrew 11 we read: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In some ways it is harder to keep the faith then to try and make something or someone change.

This past week I also had the joy of spending time with my son and his growing family. There were times, to be sure, that I doubted this day would come. For reasons I didn’t know, couldn’t see or fix, it just took him a little longer to find his way. Next week he graduates residency and become an oral surgeon. He and his wife have 2 beautiful girls and a little boy on the way. Do I say this to brag? Certainly not! I say this to encourage anyone who feels that their faith is waning and that their child won’t bloom. 

It’s not up to you. It’s up to them to reach down deep enough to draw the nutrition they need. 

It’s up to you to keep the faith.

Did you know that some gardeners rip out and replant every year? I was stunned to learn that the tulips are replaced in the White House rose garden every year. The garden keepers don’t want to take a chance of having a bad year. But that luxury is not afforded most of us. We have to work within our budget. But I truly believe that is a good thing. Our reward might not be a blue ribbon or a magazine cover, our reward is in the hands of the One who gives and takes away; the One who puts such painstaking design in a flower that is here today and gone tomorrow; the One who doesn’t just water but causes the seed to grow:

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55: 10 & 11

Take confidence, my friend, that God knows your garden, He knows your heart and hears your prayers. Maybe cut a flower from your garden today and set it out where you can see its 'substance' and let’s all ask Jesus – just as his disciples did – Lord, increase my faith!