Perseverance

Maybe we have come to expect too much too soon in our lives. We microwave our meals, speed-dial our telephones, and zap the channels on our television sets. We've become accustomed to instantaneous results. But instant breakfast is one thing; I don't believe we can expect instant gratification and instant fulfillment in our lives. In spite of what they show you on television, there is no quick fix between commercial breaks. You must have patience and engage in persistent action toward making your dream become a reality.

In his book An Enemy Called Average, John L. Mason writes of a tree in Asia called the giant bamboo that has a particularly hard seed. It's so hard that to grown that you must water and fertilize that seed every day for four years before any portion of it breaks the soil. And then in the fifth year, the tree shows itself. But the remarkable thing-and consult your National Geographic if you don't believe me-is that once it breaks the surface, this bamboo plant, like many of the species is capable of growing at rates as fast as four feet a day to a height of ninety feet in less than a month! You can practically stand there and watch it grow!

Now the cosmic question here is, Did the bamboo tree grow ninety feet in under a month? Or did it grow over five years? Over five years, of course! Most people do not realize that if the grower had stopped watering or fertilizing that seed at any point, the tree would have died.

When they don't see instant results, many people become discouraged with their dreams and goals. They become impatient. And I believe many of them walk away from their dreams just as they are about to break through and flourish. You must have patience. Your time is going to come if you work diligently and meticulously. It doesn't matter if no one else recognizes that. It matters only that you see it and you have patience to wait for it.

Les Brown

Related Bible Tests: Psalm 38:2; Matthew 24:13; John 15:5; Galatians 6:9