Dr. Dan Barbrow |
As we reflect on how the Lord works in people’s lives, we realize that with the exception of salvation, most changes are similar to that tooth and occur over time. For example, God could have spoken the world into existence in an instant rather than phasing the process over six days of work. Also, the Lord could have easily assembled the disciples for a one-day seminar to impart all they needed to know and do after the Ascension, but instead He chose to teach them over a three-year period.
Just because our endeavors as parents and educators do not produce immediate results, it does not mean those efforts are ineffective. In fact, sometimes an instant change is not the desired outcome. In Matthew 13, Jesus told the parable of the sower. One of the seeds quickly grew but had no depth, so in the heat of the day it quickly withered. In contrast, the seed whose soil had depth perhaps did not grow so quickly, but when it did, the harvest yielded thirty to a hundredfold.
Praiseworthy development is worth the wait.