Waiting!

"See how the farmer awaits the precious yield of the soil." James 5:7

Advent is a special time of waiting and it is especially fitting that we visit a farmer's work in the field. In one of my favorite verses, Saint Paul says we are God's field, God's garden (1 Cor. 3:9). He breathed the seed of life into us and put us lovingly in our milieu, knowing that each of us would bloom and grow "for such a time and place as this" (Esther 4:14). 

We look at the majestic trees and we know it took years before it reached its height. Each tree had to survive storms, heat, floods, drought, rot, sometimes even fire to get stronger and plant its roots deeper and deeper into the soil. But each tree started from a tiny seed that broke through to the sunshine and drank thirstily of the water and nutrients in the soil. Only when it goes through all the seasons of growth and regrowth can it bear fruit to bless others. 

During this time of waiting on the Lord, let us look at our life, and be patient with ourselves. We too go through different seasons of growing. We encounter different challenges and testing that expose our neediness, our weaknesses, like the seeds, but we just have to trust our 'farmer'. He chose our soil, He waters us, He tends us. He also prunes us at the right time, with the precise tool, into fruitfulness and abundance. One day, we too, will become a majestic tree, or something entirely unexpected. We just have to be patient, and wait, and be excited with the "precious yield" God has in store for us!