Give It Some Time

"It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops." — 2 Timothy 2:6

In 2 Timothy 2:6, Paul uses the example of a hardworking farmer to encourage Timothy. Farming is demanding work. The farmer prepares the soil, plants the seed, waters, weeds, and waits. Even after all that labor, there may be little visible evidence that anything is happening.

Farming is not instant work.  Months can pass before a harvest appears.

Many aspects of the Christian life are the same way. Whether we are sharing the gospel, discipling others, serving in ministry, raising children, building a business, or simply growing in our faith, we often want results much faster than they come.  

We want to see growth immediately. We want the harvest now.

But growth takes time.

Spiritual growth rarely happens overnight. God often does His deepest work in seasons that seem slow and unproductive.

The reason is simple: we do not cause the growth. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:7,

"Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."

Our responsibility is faithfulness. God's responsibility is the growth.

So don't be in such a rush to produce a harvest that you forget you don't control the process. Don't become so eager for fruit that you neglect the roots. Fruit may be visible, but healthy roots are what sustain it and roots are developed where no one can see them.

If you've been praying, serving, obeying, or waiting and it feels like nothing is happening, don't be discouraged. God may be doing His greatest work beneath the surface.  

Seeds take time.
Roots take time.
Growth takes time.

Give it some time.

Trust the process, but more importantly, trust God.