Patient as a Flower
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| My first Valentine’s Day rose. |
I’ve been thinking about patience – the art of waiting – a lot recently. Though I love my college experience, it’s sometimes difficult to remain in the “now”. Since I was a little girl, I loved to plan, to dream about what exciting event would come next. The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve learned that my ideas of what might happen are no comparison to what the LORD has in store. Thank goodness! Remember Jeremiah 29:11? “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (ESV)
I found the metaphor of a flower useful in thinking about patience. Picture a tiny bud, still curled up in its petals. Now, imagine that you simply couldn’t wait to see how this amazing flower is going to turn out. Is it a rose? A lily? Would the petals be large, or small? You begin to tear open the bud, peeling back layers and layers of beautiful petals until all you have left is a barren stem and a heap of flower on the floor. Did rushing the process help you understand what the flower would have looked like any faster? Of course not! In fact, rushing ahead only ruined the beauty that could have been. We’ll never know if this metaphoric flower was a lily or a rose, how full or fragrant it was.
O friends, wait with me as we wait on the Father. “I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1 (ESV)
Very good reminder.
Thank you! It was a lesson I totally needed reminding of. :0)
Thank you for sharing your “art of waiting” lesson with us. Patience is certainly a virtue we need more of and we have access to – through Him. Keep writing – you’re a blessing!