It’s that time of year when life is emerging from the earth. After a long, dark, cold winter, the time has come for all things new. Here in Nebraska, we still swing between winter and spring for a while. We can go from a low of twenty degrees to a high of eighty degrees within a given week. We are tricked into thinking spring is here, but winter still needs its time.
Our excitement gets the better of us and often on those warm days, we roam outside, anxious to see if anything has begun to pop through the dirt yet, knowing it could be any day.
The seeds and bulbs and roots were all put to bed in the dirt over winter. They need their time of rest in the dark and cold before they can be their best. The last time we checked, there was no sign of anything yet, but we have faith. The flowers we planted in hope, given the right time, will emerge and put on their great show. Even though we may not see it, they are doing their thing, working on busting through that dirt.
Year after year, we know this to be true. The time will come. And we also know, there is absolutely nothing we can do to make those flowers come up any sooner once we plant them in the earth. It can be so hard to wait, and we would love to put a rush on it, but they need their time deeply buried.
So we wait.
It is no different with the seasons in life. We know after hard, long seasons, the time will come for that season to end and for a new one to begin. But the wait is so hard. No matter what we are waiting for, it’s hard. Frustrations and impatience tempt us along the way. We want to speed things up instead of allowing the time needed. We want to push it along faster. We want to fix it. We want to heal it. We want to force it. We want a shortcut. But God calls us to be faithful and to trust Him and His timing.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 (NASB)
If you’re in the midst of a painful season of waiting, my heart aches for you because I get it. I understand those confusing, difficult seasons, where it feels vulnerable to wait. Sometimes all we can do is pray — pray and wait. Whether the seasons change quickly or don’t change easily at all, we must wait on the Lord, and we can put our faith in Him.
Trust and hope come in the middle of waiting on God. When we move our focus from what we are waiting for to Him, we can find a sense of peace in His plans and hope in Him.
God is always at work. Just like the work being done in those seeds, bulbs, and roots that we can not see, we can know and trust that God is working on our behalf. Even when we can’t see it, even if it seems to be taking forever, even if we don’t understand, the seasons will change, the plants will burst forth, and God will come through.
After a little more time and another check in the garden, I notice they’re there — the unmistakable little red heads of peonies peeking through the dirt. And although it will be a while before their beautiful blooms appear, there they are, coming out of the dark earth — just like they do every year.
Be encouraged while waiting on God. Your time will come. Trust and remain faithful in your season. While you wait, remember He is right there with you. And He is really what we want after all.
God, the one and only – I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I hope for comes from him, so why not? He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, an impregnable castle: I’m set for life.
Psalm 62:5-6 (MSG)
Bev Rihtarchik says
Jennifer,
My peonies are about 7-8 inches tall. Seeing them push up from the cold dirt is a reminder to me of Jesus pushing beyond the grave. He is making all things new — including me. I must wait on the miracles He is about to perform.
Blessings in the waiting,
Bev xx
Jennifer Ueckert says
Yes, Bev! All things new! xo
Lisa says
I really need this today.
Jennifer Ueckert says
So grateful these words met you today, Lisa!
Carrie says
Needed this more than you know… thanks so much…Peace’Love’Godbless to you 😉
Jennifer Ueckert says
So happy to know this message met you today, Carrie!
Irene says
Thank you, Jennifer, for the encouragement. May you be richly blessed and your waits short or inspired. Or both!
Jennifer Ueckert says
I love that! Thank you so much, Irene!
Stephanie says
Needed this reminder. Beautifully said. Thank You Jennifer ❤️
Jennifer Ueckert says
I am grateful to hear the message met you today, Stephanie! Thank you!
Beth Williams says
Jennifer,
God is the potter & we are the clay. It takes time for a potter to mold that clay into a beautiful tea cup, vase or something. You have to work with it getting rid of the ugly excess. That is what Jesus is doing with us. He is removing the dross & replacing it with His love & character. In the waiting God cultivates our hearts. *We know how hard it is to deal with The burdens or trials. Just like in farming we have to bury the past. Farmers know that they have to get move through every inch of the field to turn land inside out. Without this crops may not grow like we want.* The same is true of us. We have to be turned inside out & rid ourselves of all impurities.
*borrowed from Jennifer Dukes Lee-Face book.
Blessings 🙂
Jennifer Ueckert says
Love that image of He as the potter and we as they clay! Thank you, Beth!
Penny says
This was so beautiful Jennifer, thank-you for the reminder.
Blessings to you all,
Penny
Jennifer Ueckert says
Thank you so very much, Penny!
Becky Keife says
Jennifer, I love that encouragement to shift our focus from what we’re waiting for to God. Yes. That makes all the difference.
Jennifer Ueckert says
It really does. Thank you, friend!
Carmen says
Oh thank you Lord for you are my Rock, my Healer, my Protector … my Father! I am here Lord. Let me walk by you always.
Jennifer Ueckert says
Amen to that, Carmen!
Nomusa Mhlanga says
Where I am we are going into winter, a season that in my younger years I looked at as one for just waiting with bated breath for spring to return. Yet as I grew older I have come to realize, it is a season for preparing for spring. In my part of the world we can still work in the outdoors during winter. That’s when we bury in the ground the bulbs that will bud in spring. It’s when we get fertile top soil to bury the lawns under to protect them from frost. That’s when I rearrange my garden so that when spring comes, the new growth happens where I want it to for the look that I want. In our winter, the trees shed their leaves, we sweep them daily for composting through the spring and summer so as to nourish the new growth. Likewise in my spiritual life, in the winters, I prepare for the spring by hiding God’s word in my heart. I allow it to take root and prepare me to be the rich soil out of which the beautiful blooms of spring will find nourishment. In the different seasons we pass through, there is both basking and working. It gives a unique balance that makes it possible for a special relationship between God and man. There is never an idle moment on both ends. Thank you for the insight. The strength to wait comes from trust in what only God can do.
Jennifer Ueckert says
What a beautiful comment, Nomusa. I enjoyed walking through your winter season with you. Felt like I was right there! Thank you!
Olivia says
Thank you and continued blessings.
Jennifer Ueckert says
Thank you so much, Olivia!
Emily says
Thank you for this inspiring article!
Jennifer Ueckert says
Thank you so much, Emily!
Jennifer Johnson says
I’m not a native Texan but been here since 1984. It’s the one place where you can use your A/C and furnace in the same 24 hour period. lol! But seriously, I’m so in that kind of space in my life. Not understanding the plan, but doing my best to trust Him.
Jennifer Ueckert says
I didn’t even know you would use a furnace in Texas! lol! Praying for you in your season, Jennifer!