Wait

I just made my annual trip to the nursery to get everything to plant my garden and add some color to our backyard. Every year I’m reminded of the same thing – I’m planting in March something I will not enjoy until July. Of course the flowers will be enjoyed immediately, but I’ll have to wait several months for those tomatoes and zucchini.
     We all know that “good things come to those who wait,” but we live in a culture that says NOW! I don’t want to wait, I want it now! In several areas of my life I simply don’t try because I don’t want to wait for the results. I’d love to be in better shape, but I know that I will not see results for several months after consistent work outs and I don’t want to wait, so I don’t try. I also think about all the time it takes to have a baby – I’d love someone to just put one in my arms now and skip all the months of waiting and growing! But life doesn’t work that way. There is a reason why we plant in Spring what we will not enjoy until Summer. Through the nurturing, pruning, weeding, and watering, we are preparing ourselves to truly enjoy the harvest. The time of waiting is precious time where we are refined and made more into God’s image. I’m grateful that God is patient with me and reminds me of this truth each year as I plant my garden. There are several things that I’m waiting for in my life right now and today I’m going to sit down and enjoy the wait. I’m going to ask God to quiet my impatient heart, silence my timeline, calm my urgency and prepare me for the harvest that is coming down the road.