I remember when my daughter was asked in school to plant some seeds at home. She would wake up every day checking if the leaves were coming out. After checking for days with no visible change, she attempted to uproot them. I told her; “Don’t uproot the seeds. Keep on watering. It would still bring out leaves.” True to my counsel, after some couple of days, the leaves started coming out. She was excited.
Friend, if you must make lasting progress in life, you must learn to be future thinking. Most times, the result of what you are doing may not show immediately, but it would show ultimately (Genesis 8:22). When you think that nothing is happening, a lot is actually happening. Wise people have learnt to look away from immediate results to ultimate manifestations.
While followers are only excited about products, leaders are concerned about the process (Luke 12:49-50). When the process is right and thorough, the right products cannot be denied. Great leaders are not surprised about the outcomes of their lives and enterprises. They are only surprised if otherwise. You need to develop conviction in your processes with God (2 Timothy 1:12).
We have spoken a lot about Good Friday and Easter Sunday as the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, respectively, we do not often talk about the second day (Saturday). The second day may look silent and uneventful, but I believe a lot happened that day, too. Jesus was not resting in the tomb the second day waiting for the resurrection on Sunday. He fought and won our redemption (Psalms 24:7-10, 1 Peter 3:19).
People often celebrate the start of great projects and the eventual breakthrough, but don’t usually talk about the in-betweens. There are periods when the visioneer feels like giving up, times he has to battle loneliness and depression, seasons when the funds seem not to be coming, etc. (Habakkuk 2:3). Most breakthroughs are forged out of those seasons, and most failures are products of bad handling of such seasons.
You might think the Church is not growing, but it is developing deep roots (Isaiah 37:31, Colossians 2:7). You might think the business is not yet yielding as you have wanted, but you are developing credibility as you learn the dynamics of growth. You might even think all your prayers, bible studies, and church life are amounting to nothing. Wait until the season when those investments are needed (2 Timothy 1:5-6). Don’t uproot the seeds because you do not see the fruits yet. Keep on watering.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria