Spring is here! Maybe. The seasons are fickle in the mountains. One day the temperature is in the 70’s, only for it to plummet down to freezing the next. Last weekend I mowed the lawn and two days later, it snowed. I’m ready. I’m set. But wait. Spring is not here yet. I’m slowly learning the tender art of patience.
Many of my readers responded to the photos I posted on Face Book of my husband and I working in our yard. They too are readying themselves for spring. Plotting out their gardens. Purchasing seeds. Prepping the ground for planting. Some have already mowed their lawns for the first time too. Even so, I’m keeping my seeds in their packets. The soil is not warm enough to plant them just yet.
In many ways, life’s seasons act the same. We’re ready. We’re set for the next big event . . . but then, we wait. The wedding we’ve planned. The baby we’ve prayed for. Or the job promotion we’ve prepped for. Although, as years go by and our patience wears thin, we begin to question God. Lord, why aren’t You answering my prayers?
Maybe your soil isn’t ready yet.
There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season . . . Do people really gain anything from their work? I saw the hard work God has given people to do. God has given them a desire to know the future. He does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what He is doing.
The words of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 9-11 NCV
Much like King Solomon, I’ve experienced a time of waiting and I’m learning the tender art of patience. My writing journey began in 2011 when I entered a contest run by Women of Faith. Nothing came of my entry, but the effort rekindled in me a love for writing that had lain dormant for decades. Since that time, I’ve journaled, blogged, attended Christian Writers conferences, studied books on writing, joined a critique group, and sought out a writing coach. All the while, I continue to put myself in front of my computer to write, to work toward publication . . . and I wait.
To be truly honest, I have seen successes with two devotions published in the Upper Room and several awards granted for my work in writing contests. Although my heart can’t help but ask. God, what about the books I’ve written. Will anyone ever want to publish these? Then a still, small voice answers in the depth of my soul. Your soil isn’t ready yet.
There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season.
Just as we wait for Spring to finally arrive, sometimes we must wait for our own special season. I don’t know what struggle you are experiencing right now, but this I do know. God has not forgotten you. Perhaps He’s preparing you at this very moment for something grand. However, your soil isn’t ready yet.
In the meantime, cultivate the tender art of patience in your life. Never give up. For all you know, the turning point you’ve been waiting for, sits right around the next corner. May the all-powerful God of Love and Mercy, grant you the strength and courage to continue waiting for that breakthrough.
And so, I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.
Paul’s words to the Philippian Church from Philippians 1:6
Patience is not my strongest trait, but I’m praying, and practicing, and learning. Being a farm girl, I loved your analogy of waiting until the soil is warm and ready before we plant. God has our plan.
Waiting is always tough even if it’s only waiting for the right time to plant the garden.