Spring flowers -- how we all love them. But they have to be planted in the fall in order to bloom in the spring. You can't plant tulips in April and expect them to bloom. They won't.
Many years ago I planted 105 tulips and hyacinth bulbs around the roses in one of my gardens while I lived in Connecticut. It was hard work; I spent a lot of time on my knees, digging and planting those hard bulbs. My back and arms ached when I was done, but I looked forward to the coming spring when I would enjoy the fruits of my labor. But first I had to patiently go through the harsh winter months. Did I worry about my newly-planted bulbs freezing? Did I worry that they wouldn't grow when they should? No! I knew the bulbs had to go through the cold months before they would bloom in the warmth of spring. Even though I couldn't see anything happening, I knew those bulbs were setting down roots, roots which were necessary to produce a flower. And so I waited as the ground froze and the snow fell. I waited as the snow melted and the rains came. I waited for there to be more sunny days than cold, cloudy ones. Then I waited as the sun poured out its warming energy, pushing back the frost and ice in the ground with each passing day.
I eagerly checked the flower bed each day, but there was nothing. Yet I didn't throw up my hands in aggravation and walk away, never to check the bed again. No, I kept checking because I had faith that those bulbs I had so diligently planted months before would be up sooner or later. And one day, there was one bulb, then another, and another, and more every day. Soon every bulb I'd planted was up through the chilly ground, reaching for the warmth of the sun. It didn't take long for buds to appear, then the beauty of those flowers unfolded, lasting for days, their fragrance filling the air, enticing my senses. I finally was able to enjoy all my hard work, but it took months of waiting and watching.
Our society seems to have become a "microwave" society, wanting things instantly. With on-line ordering, computers allow us to shop from the comfort of our homes and receive the items ordered within a few short days. Patience seems to have been lost through the years. We've forgotten the joy of expectation.
Believers can also be impatient. We get down on our knees and put our petitions before God, then get up and expect the answer to come overnight in an e-mail or text message. Or we expect to see immediate results from our work, whatever that work may be. Time is of the essence with us. Time is of no importance to God. And so He teaches us to plant, to keep a dream or a desire or request deep in our hearts. He doesn't forget it's there. He knows. And so we go through time, often months that seem cruel and harsh and difficult, thinking nothing is happening as we want it to happen. But God is working in us or around us, setting down deep roots of faith so we can produce a good harvest. And we wait and wait and wait, hoping for a sigh of answered prayer or results from all our hard work. More months, or even years, may pass, and we eagerly anticipate God's hand bringing about results. When nothing seems to be happening, discouragement can easily set in. But one day, one glorious day, you will see a tiny bit of growth, something that wasn't there yesterday, and it will grow larger each day. Often storms may still come, cutting off the warm sun and slowing that growth, but all storms pass and the sun always reappears. Finally, just when you think all the growth is not producing anything, a bud appears, and that bud bursts forth into a glorious flower which brings honor and glory to God alone.
Whatever your desire, whatever your hope, whatever your dream, whatever your work, don't give up. Keep on believing. Keep having faith. You may be just one day away from seeing the results of all your hard, diligent work, of all your prayers, of all your dreams. God is faithful. Just as the tulips and daffodils will always bloom in the spring, so will God always bring results and answers into our lives.
It's with this hope in mind that I keep believing for my book, "Amanda's Hope, A Choice for Life", to get onto bookstore shelves and into the public's hands, all to the glory of God. I see growth but no buds yet, but I'm holding on.
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