It takes time

I stepped back and clapped my gloves together, showering the ground with stray pieces of mulch, falling like black confetti on the ground. I felt like celebrating too as I stepped back to see the progress from the morning. This season was a springboard in terms of progress on landscaping. Even though Clay and I have lived in our home for almost three years, we have not been able to landscape the vast garden areas around our house very much. We have made great strides in renovations for our old Victorian farmhouse, and we have done loads of work outside too, but this year was especially fun because we got to put in a decorative pond under our Japanese Red Maple tree, place decorative rocks around it, add in some goldfish and some herbs and flowers in the surrounding area, and finish with some black mulch to compliment our black accents on the house. We continued to weed and mulch the area of the garden on that side of the house until it was almost unrecognizable compared to the 'before.'

As I stood back and looked at how pretty everything was, I considered what a big milestone this moment was. A pond with goldfish, some lovely flowers, and mulch were always a part of the plan. I remember thinking about doing it when we did our final walkthrough several Augusts ago. But I didn't get there overnight. We didn't have the time, we didn't have the money, and the project kept getting pushed from one spring to the next. It took us three years to get to laying these bags of mulch down. Three years to get the goldfish. Three years to get to work on this part of our dream. The realization made the accomplishment of our current progress so much larger. It realigned my perspective of time.

To some extent, we are all dreamers. We all have goals and wishes and bucket-list items. These aspirations are important, and they remind us why we get up every day to go to work, or why we challenge ourselves in certain ways. There's an end-goal. But the hard part about having a dream is having to wait to see ourselves taking any step towards making it a reality. We want that dream to come true sooner rather than later, and we can often miss some of the joy in getting there. As Christians, the reminder to keep our perspective on God's timing in check is critical in relying on our faith.

Because our timetable often depicts us reaching some of our larger goals in almost no time at all, we can sometimes feel as though we will never get there, feel discouraged with an overwhelming amount of work and time that still lay between us and our vision for life. But God's timing is perfect. And while we might be in a hurry, God never is. We are told in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under Heaven." Here we can remember that we still have time to get there. There is joy in recognizing the place we are in today, and encouragement to remain joyful when we realize we have room to grow, more dreams to have, more chances to build a life that we enjoy living. This verse reminds us that everything we accomplish is worth celebrating, as each step is part of God's almighty plan.

Good things take time. If we had all we ever wanted overnight, how would we be able to see the value in working hard, in putting time and energy into something that we can be proud of? Luke 8:11 tells us "Now the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God." I love this verse because it captures the entire heart of today's message. The seed requires work. The seed requires time. We do not get a flourishing tree in mere minutes, but instead we have the chance to plant it, to water it, to weed around it, to give it light and space to grow. We have the chance to put in the work to see it grow into something strong and fruitful over time. It doesn't happen in a season, it might not happen in two or three seasons. But that does not mean that it is not worth it. The most valuable and important things in life take time and patience and work. And when we put in those things, we can celebrate the peace and satisfaction of taking care of it and watching it turn into something beautiful. When we care for things in this way, we notice every new growth, every new blossom, every new little thing that represents health and progress. It is no different in ourselves and in our lives. When we tend and care and work for the things important to us, we see it flourish and can find joy in the little steps, celebrate the work, and find joy in taking our time.

2 Peter 3:8 reminds us that God is in no rush, as it states "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Time puts God in a box that is limited by our understanding, but truly He is beyond that measurement. However, He still promises us in 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." These verses paired together encourage patience and peace. We might not get there today, but we will get there. And along the way, it is important to see God blessing us. Mulching is a little thing, and so are some herbs around a goldfish-filled pond. But to me, it was a vision becoming reality. My imagination coming to life. What a blessing to be able to work for three years to get to this point. God's hand revealed to me that He was giving me what I had asked for, and while I initially wanted it all the first year, it is so much more special to remember the hard work along the way and celebrate the place we are in now.

I wonder where we will be three years from now, and I remember how far we have come in the last three years. What a small measurement of time and what a monumental amount of change. Truly, when we slow down enough to celebrate how far we have all come, we can see God's hand crafting us, we can recognize all the new signs of growth and strength, and we can rejoice in being a child of the Lord's. We have the ability to grow, to dream, to put work into the things and people we love. When we feel rushed or discouraged, we can remember that God's timing is perfect and He has all the details of our dreams figured out. His plans for us are so much greater than we could ever imagine. Let's lean into His almighty blueprint for our lives, and celebrate the time and work it takes to see it all come to life!