be not weary

It's cloudy again today, rainy, cold.

Sigh.

Between some pesky animals (with digging paws),

 the cold spells, and "endless torrential floods" of rain -

it's easy to feel that all of my hard work on our new garden

has thus far come to naught.

If the seeds weren't completely unsettled by the cat 

and the dog, surely they must've been frozen or washed away.

Discouraged.

A few days ago,

I was in the process of miserably staring through the

rain-streaked windows at my pitiful little garden.

So much hard work, so little reward.

At that moment, every situation facing me seemed so difficult;

I was sick of putting so much effort into projects,

only to have my work destroyed, or not appreciated.

I just wanted to give up.

For a moment I was tempted to doubt that it was worthwhile.

Those are always the instances when the Lord gives

me some hope; and this moment was no exception.

As I stared at that drowning garden,

and allowed myself to become frustrated and weary,
of all those areas that just don't seem worth the effort right now-
the Lord graciously brought a verse to my mind.
Just the sort of promise that I needed to be reminded of;
a verse that suddenly applied in a way I hadn't considered before:

"Be not weary in well doing: 
for in due season ye shall reap,
if ye faint not."

Galatians 6:9

What a perfect verse for this time in my life.

One I've often quoted before,

but never soaked in quite as fully as I am now.

I'll admit, as a single young woman who has chosen

to stay with my family and under my father's protection - 

it can sometimes be easy to see this phase of my life as

a lot of tilling hard ground, planting seeds,

and working through some rainy Spring days -

without a whole lot of substance to show for it.

(Not counting the obvious blessings of being with my
precious family - you know what I mean.)

It takes so much Faith.

Each decision, each step of sanctification and surrender

to the Lord, and His will for my life,

each act of obedience in the tasks I've been handed -

are like little hope-filled seeds.

And I'm called to keep planting them,

to keep cultivating them,

whether I can see the fruits immediately or not.

It's all about being faithful in the "little things" right now.

The cloudy days do come in life,

the seasons when you feel like you sacrifice so much -

and your efforts to human eyes seem a mockery,

or even a complete waste.

But for the Wisdom of a loving Father,

and His precious Promises.

I thought perhaps there is another young lady "out there"

who might at times find herself weary in well doing.

Don't be faint of heart or spirit,

we shall reap in due season.

Never forget where your treasure is.

Those seeds that I felt would never amount to anything,

have now emerged in the garden as tiny seedlings;

they didn't come up exactly where I planted them;  :)

but they are there.

And with time, there will be a harvest.

The Lord has promised.