I don’t usually get very excited about a radish
Unless of course it is MY RADISH!
In November I planted some seeds for a personal garden. The plan is to continue developing it into a community garden of sorts. Friends helped me excitedly plant the seeds and build beds to ensure they would be protected.
Within a few days there were shoots coming out of the ground which were of course celebrated. Then we excitedly waited for fruit.
But nothing came!
Obviously, we understood that it takes time to develop vegetables. But the desire for growth makes us check the garden two or three times a week. And when it isn’t there, we can become agitated.
The excitement over the sprouts is easy overcome by the frustration that there is no real fruit.
Spiritual growth works the same way. When individuals turn to the Lord there is immediate growth (like the sprouts). The true growth however comes over time as they draw closer to the Lord and develop spiritual disciplines. We rejoice over the sprouts that shoot up out of the ground, and excitedly wait for the true fruit to come.
But that takes time, and very hard work!
The good news is if we are patient, the fruit will come. The bad news is many of us don’t have enough patience. We become frustrated when the radish doesn’t come within a few weeks. And either ignore the garden, or give up on it altogether!
May the Lord help us remember that all fruit comes slowly. And have the patience and grace to nurture that small sprout into a full growth vegetable. Then we can go rejoice in the radish that God has given.
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