As I slice tomatoes for dinner, the wonderful fragrance proclaims that these are homegrown. The flavor is so much better than store-bought ones, they hardly seem the same product.
We have waited a long time for these tomatoes. In June, we longed to bite into one of these luscious red wonders, but we just had to dream, because there was no way to hurry the process. Sunny days and life-giving rain had to do their work, nourishing the plants and developing the fruit. We watched the green globes grow large and then go from yellow to orange and finally, bright red.
They are worth the wait.
We usually have enough to put up for the winter, and it brings the smell of summer back to us each time we open a jar. By next June, we will be hungering for a fresh garden tomato once more.
Gardening teaches us patience. There is no instant gratification in gardening except for the work, which is a reward in itself. We get dirty and sweaty, fight weeds, water and mulch. We rest from our work and then enter the fray again.
We planted tomatoes knowing we would have to wait weeks before reaping the harvest, yet some plants take even more patience. We planted rhubarb knowing we couldn’t have any of it until next year. Troy planted 25 asparagus roots and we won’t be able to eat from them for two years. Our apple trees may take even longer to give their harvest. But we understand the promise of the seed, plant, bud and flower. We have to wait, work and watch.
Those three W’s are exactly the same for us when we hope to be among our Father’s harvest of firstfruits. We spend the time waiting for His promises to be fulfilled, striving to spread His word, watching the signs of the times and trying to weed unrighteousness out of our lives.
Our Heavenly Father is patient. He works the earth according to His plan, watches over us and waits to reap His harvest in the fullness of time.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One