Waiting

I have to admit this: I don’t like to wait. I don’t even like to shop. If I need something, I get it. No reason to waste time thinking about it forever.

But that doesn’t work in the garden.

In the garden, I have to wait. I have to wait for the plants to grow. I have to wait for the fruit to appear. I have to wait for the fruit to grow and ripen. No amount of wishing or impatience on my part changes that.

Every day, I walk in the garden. I check on the growth, make sure they are getting enough water, correct and support the growth as needed, watch and wait. And wait.

The tomatoes are there. They are large and green. And still green. I wonder if impatience led to fried green tomatoes.

Waiting. It’s possibly the hardest thing to do, especially for us in the here and now. If we were servants, we would have to wait for our master’s command. If we lived in the millennia before digital communications, we would have to wait for information to arrive and for communications to be returned. If we lived in a time of austerity, we would have to wait to until something was available that we could afford. As it is, we live in a world besot with self determination, going for it, instant communication, immediate gratification, easy credit and over abundance.

Maybe waiting is difficult for you as well.

Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14

If you read the Old Testament, waiting was never something that people found easy. Sarah couldn’t wait for Isaac’s birth, but had her servant conceive Ishmael; their descendants are still fighting. The Hebrews in the desert couldn’t wait for Moses to return, so they created a molten calf to lead them. They were impatient to get to the promised land. There are many instances of God asking His people to wait, and many instances of God’s people complaining about having to wait.

How long, O Lord? (Psalm 119:81, Psalm 13:1, Habakkuk 1:2, Psalm 71:12, Psalm 89:46)

But in a garden, you must wait; work while you wait for sure, but wait.

There is no point in complaining or fretting or getting anxious about how long it is taking the plant to mature. It just takes time. I just have to wait.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6.

What a lesson for life. Some things take time.

It takes time for those green tomatoes to turn red. Sometimes it takes time for me to forgive someone. It has taken a lot of time for me to not become angry when someone cuts in front of me. It may take time before God fulfills His promise to you. In the meantime, God calls us to have faith and wait.

Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. James 5:7

So, be patient. Wait on the Lord. He is at work, even if we can’t see it. Have faith.

Fear not. Fret not. When the time is right, the plant will grow and bear fruit. When the time is right, the fruit will be ready.

And the good news is that, since patience is a fruit of the Spirit, your ability to wait for God to accomplish His plans is evidence of His fruit ripening in your life.

Take a deep breath, my friend, and enjoy your summer.

Betsy

Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s work might be revealed in him.” John 9:3