But if we hope for what we do not yet have,
we wait for it patiently. –
Romans 8:25
“Is it time now?” Emily asked for the hundredth
time. “Not yet, Honey”, I answered again to my four-year-old daughter who
immediately resounded with yet another “Whyyyy not?” “Because we have to wait
until the soil is ready,” I explained. You see, the previous weekend I had
bought bulbs and flower seeds for us to plant in a flower garden. We picked
just the right spot in front of her playground.
It could be 15 feet across and 3 feet wide…just the perfect size for all
that we had to plant. Emily’s first thought was to grab a shovel and begin
planting. I have to admit that it was my first thought, too. First, it was a fun activity that Emily and I
were looking forward to and second, it would save so much time. We could get everything planted in one hour
and then wait for the seeds to spout. We would certainly see those sprouts much
quicker that way. But my rational adult
side knew without question what would happen if we did. Not only would our seeds grow, but so would
all of the weeds that were already mixed in with the soil. It would result in
such a mixture of both that the beauty of our flowers would be lost and the
enjoyment of our bed would be greatly diminished. Instead, I knew, we would
have to ask Keith to help make the bed just right for our flower garden. First,
he would have to till up the current soil that was full of weeds. Then he would
have to remove all of the existing soil that had just been tilled up. Next, he
would have to place a plastic barrier at the base of the bed to keep out weeds
from the ground below the flower bed. And finally, he would fill up the bed
with pure potting soil…soil that would be fertile enough to grow beautiful
flowers, but without the weeds that would ruin the beauty of the flower bed.
And that’s exactly what he did two weeks later on the first weekend day with
sunny weather. Though the wait was long,
Emily and I were soon enjoying what we thought was the most beautifully
wonderful flower garden in the world.
Think about this story in relation to our spiritual
life. Often, we have a desire for
something and we want it now. We want to
be able to control the situation and get whatever it is immediately or at least
what we would perceive is a reasonable amount of time. But perhaps our soil isn’t ready. Perhaps we
must wait until just the right time after our own Father has dug out all of the
weed-filled soil and replaced it with pure soil, leaving his holy spirit as a
barrier to further help keep out weeds, or rather a corrupt society, our own
negative emotions, or any other influence that might make our soil less
fertile. Think about the time, effort,
and love God might put into making our “bed”, just like the time and effort
Keith put into making the bed for Emily. He does this for the same reason Keith
did it for her…because He loves us so much and will do anything in the world
for us.
Now imagine yourself as Emily in the same scenario. Have you recently asked God if it’s time yet
and questioned why your seed can’t just grow in the soil that’s already
there? If so, understand that just as I
knew why Emily’s seeds shouldn’t be planted before the time was right if I
wanted her to experience perfectly beautiful flowers, God, too, knows just the
right time that your seed should be planted in His fertile soil. And when He
does, I promise that you’ll experience nothing less than the most beautifully
wonderful garden in the world.
