The carrots...

When I was about 10 years old, I wanted to plant a garden. My family lived in southern California at the time, and our backyard was 98% covered by swimming pool and concrete. Down the backside of the house, there was a strip of dirt about 8 inches wide, and 15 feet long...this strip of dirt was to become my vegetable garden. Actually, to call it a vegetable garden wouldn't be exactly accurate, because I think the only thing I planted was carrots.

I planted my carrot seeds and carefully watered them...dutifully checking their progress each afternoon...when I finally discovered tiny greet sprouts peeking up from the dirt, I was ecstatic! Each day I continued to check my carrots...and each day, they showed only the tiniest evidence of progress. After just a few weeks, I couldn't wait any longer...I just HAD to see how they were doing...and the darned things grow underground, so I couldn't see anything at all.

So...with the wisdom and impatience of a 10 year old, I decided that I would pull one of my carrots out and give it a little look-see...after all, I calculated...I could put it right back in the ground once I had seen its progress. And that is how I learned about the laws of nature, and what happens when you pull a vegetable out of the ground before it has finished growing...it dies. You can't put it back again.

I'm not sure what application the story of my carrot might have for you, but it's always been a reminder to me of what happens when I'm too impatient...I want results, and I want them now...I find it difficult to wait on the natural processes of life...and sometimes, too many times I'm afraid, I pull the carrot out of the dirt too soon...and in my impatience, I do irreparable damage. It can be hard to wait for what we want.

When I have to wait for something that I want and can't have...the thing that helps most is knowing that the finished product is something worth waiting for.