LEARNING HOW TO WAIT FOR GOD’S HARVEST by Trudy Saunders

Like most Southern girls, I find that when the everyday stresses of life get to be too much, I often turn to my mama. Especially when I was younger, I would find myself in tears over some random event, convinced that I had screwed up beyond repair. I tend to be an overachiever; I want to do things right the first time and move on. Since I follow the rules, I expect things to go how I plan. Unfortunately, things don’t always work that way. When they don’t, especially when we feel that we have done our part, it is easy to be discouraged. During these times, my mama often reminded me that nothing is ever wasted. As an impatient teenager, I was not particularly impressed.

It sounds so simple, too simple. “Nothing” can be lots of things - working jobs that are less than satisfying, taking unnecessary college courses, kissing lots of “frogs” before finding a prince.

When we are going through difficult times, it’s so easy to think we have made some kind of mistake, something that should not have happened. While everyone makes mistakes, often what we perceive as a mistake is really part of the process. God knows what we are going to do all along, so those divergences from the shortest course to our goals are all part of the plan. Since I struggle with patience, I tend to want everything done yesterday, sometimes forgetting that God’s timing is not our timing. I have found that Romans 8:28 (NIV) helps me to manage my expectations. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

As I get a little older, I can look back on many occasions that I am grateful that situations have not worked out how I had planned. One example in particular involved a job that I had applied for. I had worked for the organization for several years, obtained an additional certification to be ready for the opportunity, and even got the recommendation from my supervisor to receive the promotion. I had done everything that I could possibly do, yet I still didn’t get the job I had prepared for, the job I felt that I deserved. When I first found out they gave it to someone else, with less experience and qualifications, I was stunned. I cried for a couple of hours. I asked God why this was happening to me. Then I got myself together. I knew there must be some reason that God didn’t want me to take that job, so He must have something better in mind for me. I immediately started looking online for other positions, things that I wouldn’t have considered before. It wasn’t long before I found a job that I hadn’t thought I would be interested in, but I picked up the phone and made a few calls. Within days, I had interviewed, accepted the job, and was on my way to a different path that God had prepared for me. As a bonus, this job was much closer to home and less demanding than the job I had wanted. It may not have been what I wanted, but it was what I needed. Even though I didn’t know it, God did.

I also have thought back about all the time and work that I did to prepare for the position that I didn’t get. Then, I remember all the people I met during those experiences. Several of those people have provided connections for me in other areas, connections that I wouldn’t have made if I hadn’t been faithful to God’s path for me. Likewise, I feel that I have impacted them in ways that I may not have even known. I am reminded of Galatians 6:9 (NIV), “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” We are unknowingly planting seeds that will produce a harvest when we least expect it.

As I grow in my Christian faith, I am learning to rely less on my mama and more on God for strength when I face life’s troubles. Yet, I am still reminded of my mama’s words of encouragement. Nothing ever really is wasted. Even though we often don’t see the benefits of those divergences from the course we had mapped out, God rewards faithfulness. If we keep on His path, listening to what He would have us do, we will be rewarded.

Trudy Haywood Saunders is a teacher and freelance writer from North Carolina, where she lives with her husband and daughter. She writes about a variety of topics that inspire her, but her writing remains true to her Christian values. She has written articles and stories for numerous publications. Trudy is the author of two middle-grade novels, Bigfoot & Basketball: a Lannie Reese Mystery, and Terror at Town Creek: a Lannie Reese Mystery. You can learn more about Trudy on her website, http://www.trudyhaywoodsaunders.com Genesis 1:25 NKJV

And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Photos by Karen Ruhl