Waiting for Growth

“With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn't late with his promise as some measure lateness.” (2 Peter 3:8-9 MSG)

Curry leaf plants are hard to grow, especially in colder climate zones. Propagation of new plants involves carefully cutting out new shoots from underground roots of established plants. My mature curry plant produces one or two new shoots per year. Over the last several years, I’ve given every new seedling I have had to a dear friend who is a master gardener. She recently sent me this email update on her experience with these young plants:

“I have had a  hard time getting them to grow.  Because of the nature of curry leaf plants, the seedlings  don't have a lot of root development, and they seem to easily bite the dust.  With these latest two, I kept them on my basement windowsill even when all the leaves had fallen off. I watered them occasionally. After several months, one of them surprised me by beginning to show signs of leaves sprouting at one of the lower junctures.  I moved them both under my grow lights. The one on the right was still bare, but after a while, as the grow light shone on it, the bare stem looked like it had a greenish cast. At least five or six times, I picked it up and looked to see if I could really see any green, but nothing... Imagine my surprise when I noticed buds swelling all up on the twig. They had been on the windowsill for months with no sign of life. Really, the only thing I did to cause those little curry leaf seedlings to grow was not give up hope that they could grow--even when things looked quite dead.” (JW)

My friend sent me this update knowing how much I would appreciate this metaphor and the lessons of hope, persistence, and trust contained within this story. I have been praying for certain people and situations for years...watching and waiting for growth.  There are days when I feel discouraged and defeated. But God speaks to me through good friends who remind me not to give up, even when things look bleak.

While I am waiting for God to change those around me, He is patiently working on me. He turns me to the light--watering, fertilizing, pruning--watching carefully to see if I show signs of growth. He desires for me to be rooted in trust, well-grounded in faith.

With God, a decade is like a day. He isn’t late with His promises; it’s just that His timing does not always align with our expectations. God never gives up. He nurtures each of us until we develop new buds of hope, patience, and steadfastness. He longs for the day when His plans for us come to fruition.