Trees Grow Slowly

Have you ever watched a tree grow?  Initially, you'll probably think the same thing that I did.  "Of course I haven't watched a tree grow!  It's too slow!". 

You would be wrong.

We've all watched a tree grow.  The trick is that trees that are alive are always growing.  They are just (obviously) growing too slowly for us perceive.  Every day, that one tree you have in mind is somewhere between its last growth ring and adding another one.  The space between them is constantly getting wider, bit by bit by bit. 

Water is being pulled through the roots, up through the branches, out to the leaves, and back again.  The leaves are doing their undeniably godly process of converting light (literal energy) and combining it with that nutrient-rich water, and causing each tree you see (every single day) into just a bit more wood, sap, buds, sprouts, flowers, or maybe even fruit.  Yes, we can most easily see the tree's SIGNS of growth, but make no mistake, we see the ACTUAL growth.  And this seems natural to us.  We are never surprised when we look upon a tree that we haven't paid attention to in years and realize that it's put on 10 feet of height.

And so it is with (in my experience) tomato plants, my hair, may kids, and God's will.

Our family just received our long-awaited USCIS approval letter, which allows us to send our entire dossier across the world.  We got a bit (understatement) frustrated.  Anger, cynicism, and negativity pushed their way through into my feelings about this entire process of paperwork, approvals, regulations, and red tape.  We had to WAIT; that was HARD.  I had forgotten which process was really in being played out in our lives.  The will of God was at work.

In the waiting (and especially after it was done) I have come to realize that God grows things very slowly, and He does it for a reason.  As to what that reason is, I'm not sure now; I'm not meant to know now.  I have been told this, though.

"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever...." Deuteronomy 29:29.

God taught Moses to give these words to the children of Israel, just before they entered the Promised Land.  I'm sure they had plenty of questions as well.  God gave them the answers they needed, the means they needed, and the grace they needed to get by.  I must claim these words for our family and our process as well.

Our youngest, Micah, prays every night with our family and mentions 3 things each time she prays.  These include her baby brother or sister, her mommy's garden, and the little tree in our front "yarden". One day, this process will be done.  One day, we'll be walking hand in hand with the children God has given us from East to West, and I'll realize that the trees God planted in our hearts (and home) have indeed grown, just as Micah, and the rest of us, have prayed (and watched) since the beginning.

Hallelujah to the Grower of all good things! (1 Corinthians 3:7)