Time-lapse videos of plants growing and producing flowers are fascinating to watch. As if by magic, over the course of a few seconds, the bulb grows until it bursts into life, unfolding its delicate petals. Yet, in real life, the process takes much longer. If we ventured outside each day to check on the growth of flowers or vegetables, we might eventually notice indications of growth, but much of it will be indiscernible–we cannot see the seed’s production of a root system or the intricate inner workings of the plant. And its physical growth above the soil is not always overt.
A fall harvest cannot come without the period of waiting for plants to grow to maturity and bear fruit. If we tried to skip all the steps of planting, watering, weeding, and waiting, we would not have anything but a handful of seeds. God could have made it so that nature automatically produced great fields of food, ripe and ready to eat. But he did not, and that is a lesson we can learn from: growth (and harvest) takes time.
Scripture tells us that we are meant to bear spiritual fruit as Christ’s disciples (John 15:5, 8; Colossians 1:10). This is produced in us through the Holy Spirit but also requires us to submit to His work (Galatians 5:22-23). At salvation, we do not become instantly patient, loving, or kind. Rather, the Holy Spirit begins to work, cultivating these attitudes in our lives, which eventually bear fruit.
Growth is vital to the Christian life, and as such, we must learn the value of being patient in the process. Sometimes the greatest fruit will come through the small, daily advances in Christlikeness, which might be indiscernible to us and others. However, when we take the long view of our discipleship, knowing we are gradually moving toward the future glory of being conformed to the image of Jesus, we will better discern God’s patient work in us (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Mikhail Azarov
