Time to Endure

I love to see quick results, to make a decision and see action, and to know what is coming next. I want assurance I am headed in the right direction. But I am learning that God is a lot more interested in the long game than these quick results I desire.

Last month we looked at Ecclesiastes 11 and how important it is to take steps and sow the right things into our lives. “He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.” (Ecclesiastes 11:4 NASB) Today I want to talk about what happens after you “sow your seed”?

Often we are sowing seed, but the seed doesn’t seem to have any effect. Maybe we take a step of faith and there are no results. Maybe we have prayed, prepared, and worked but it seems like God hasn’t done His part. Faced with these times of uncertainty, many of us give up. Instead of allowing these times to derail us, we need to remember that waiting is a normal and necessary part of the process.

Let’s say you plant a garden. If you go out the next day expecting to see green sprouts, you will be disappointed. What if you look every day for a few weeks, and because you see nothing, you give up on your garden? We all know that doesn’t make sense. When a seed is planted, the process of growth has begun long before we can see it. Under the ground, the seed is germinating. Over time it will sprout, put down roots, and spring up through the dirt.

There is always a period of waiting between the sowing and the reaping, even in the spiritual realm. Whether it is taking steps of faith, launching out into new things, our pouring into people, we are planting seeds. These seeds will not grow overnight. If we stop believing just because we cannot see immediate results, we are giving up too soon.

Listen to the advice found in the book of Galatians, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 5:9-10)

It is critical that in our seasons of waiting we don’t grow weary and we don’t give up. When I am in these times, I’ve learned I have to be very intentional to keep my perspective correct. Here are a few keys to a healthy mindset during the waiting:

• Know the truth. Put reminders where you can see them. For example, I have Galatians 5:9 written out on a sticky note strategically placed on the inside of a door I open every day. Seeing these words help me refocus.
• Surround yourself with support. Without my close friends cheering me on I am pretty sure I would give up a lot of dreams, but their support helps me move forward.
• Don’t act defeated. Even though discouragement is very real, we cannot surrender to defeat. When our head is hanging down, it is very hard to see anything positive.
• Remember what God has done in the past. One of the best ways to be encouraged for the future is to rejoice in how God has worked in our lives before.
• Celebrate the victories of others. Instead of comparing yourself to others and feeling jealous, rejoice in how God is working in and through them. Remember He is the same God who is working in and through you.
• Keep looking for the growth. Remember how we were talking about the garden. Even though many days may go by with no growth, one day it will be there and you don’t want to miss it!

Today, if you are between the sowing and the reaping, don’t give up. It is time to endure!