Gardening and farming have been a part of my family for decades. Naturally, harvesting fruits and vegetables is something that piqued my interest because it was the example I saw growing up. I vividly remember my uncle growing his own watermelons and sharing them with us. I loved this because watermelon was my favorite fruit at that time. In 2017 (upon request), my dad made me a garden bed just like Ayesha Curry’s and I started growing spinach. Eventually I started growing peas and more recently I planted carrots.
At some point over the summer, I realized that my attempt to grow carrots had not been very successful. The carrots were super tiny and not thriving. However, I didn’t pull them up. Not because I was hopeful, but because of laziness. Fast-forward to earlier this week, I decided to clear up space in my garden to plant something new. I was utterly shocked to see that I actually had carrots!! What I saw above ground was a bunch of disorganized, over-cluttered leaves. I had no idea that full carrots were underneath the surface. I had completely given up on the idea that I could grow carrots. And then suddenly, my hands were full of them.
You already know where I’m going with this. I wonder how many times we’ve quit too early; how many times we’ve dug up what we planted in faith. Sometimes situations seem lifeless or chaotic on the surface. But in actuality, God is doing an amazing work that we can’t even see.
The day after I found my carrots, I met someone, and we were talking about “elephant ear” plants. She told me her and her husband had planted bulbs (the part of the plant that goes into the ground). When they were done, one of the bulbs was missing. She asked him where it was, and he had tossed it to the side somewhere in the garden. When she found it, she didn’t think much of it and didn’t even cover it with dirt. A while later, the bulb that had been tossed aside had produced ginormous elephant ears, while the other plants were normal-sized. She showed me a picture and I was shocked. They were absolutely huge! Again, have faith in what you planted.
Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. The prayers you’ve prayed and the work you’ve put in are not in vain. Remember, the Bible calls us to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). I am a living testament of this and I’m sure you are too. Today I’m living a reality I prayed for 2 years ago. And in 2 years from now I’ll be living out the prayers I’m praying today. It’s comforting to know that God hears us. He sees us and He cares about even the smallest details.
If you’re in a season where you’ve been praying and working on something, and it hasn’t happened yet, this message is for you. I’m urging you to live in expectation. No matter how long it’s been, keep going. The healing, the career, the home, the marriage, the children, the growth, the business, the degree, the _____ [fill in the blank], is available to you. The disciples fished all night and didn’t catch anything. But when Jesus showed up, He told them to cast their nets again. When they did, they caught so many fish their nets began to break and their boats started sinking (Luke 5:1-7). Cast your net again, sis! Find comfort in knowing that God hears you; He is listening when you speak. So have faith in what you’ve planted. And sincerely pray as though God is going to answer this time!
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
1 John 5:14-15 NIV
styledandgraced 