As The Year Ends

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 5:7-8.

This verse has been rumbling around in my brain throughout Advent. I am not sure what exactly I am being impatient for or about, but I think the Lord wants me to cool it.

Perhaps it is just a reminder during this time of year to not get caught up in my plans.

Because this is precisely the time of year when I like to look back over the past year and begin planning for the new one.

What went well; what didn’t. What did God teach me? What did I have to learn the hard way? When did I insist on my own way; how did that work out? Where can I see God at work over the past year?

A year in review, if you will, without the sordid headlines.

The problem with a year in review is that it begs the question, what am I going to do differently this year? Sometimes the answer is “nothing.” But if I want to grow something new in my garden, I have to find the space and the time to grow it. If I want to nourish a new area of growth in my life, I need to commit resources to it. But then I hear that verse again.

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 5:7-8.

Shouldn’t I be doing something while I am waiting patiently? Well yes, if having a garden has taught me anything, it is that there is always work to be done. Perhaps the point is that I don’t need to be worrying about when or if the crops will bear fruit.

If my garlic fails, because I have now cut garlic scapes three times while it is still winter, then they fail, and I have had delicious garlic scapes to use all winter.

If you all stop reading these posts because, honestly, how many times do you want to read about the wonder of a seed and the beauty of fruit, then so be it.

If my idea of how long it should take to write a book is years different from how long it actually takes, then I will be patient.

If I have to make a new year’s resolution, something I avoid, it is to continue to plant seeds in faith that God will bring forth fruit when the time is right. To be content if I should sow and another reap. To not worry about the seed that falls on rocky or weedy ground.

Because who knows what tomorrow will bring? Only God.

So, Lord, let me plant good seeds in the new year. Bring them to fruition in Your time. Help me be patient and wait for the early and late rains. Thank you for the opportunities You give me. Thank you for seeds to plant.

Happy New Year, dear friends!

Betsy