Gardening is an excellent teacher of patience. We sow, water and trim all in the hopes of seeing our plants, flowers, or fruit flourish. We would like to see results the very next day, but sometimes it takes days, months, years before the desired outcome is reached. In the midst of our hope and expectation, we come to learn patience.
As we see in today’s gospel, God is like a patient gardener, who actively sows, waters and trims in hopes of seeing our lives bear fruit. Where is He sowing, watering, trimming in our lives? That is something that we can discern through prayer and reflection.
God works on us and converts our hearts to be more holy and loving. And when there is something that we become aware of something within ourselves that we would like to see changed right away, it is good to remember the words of the Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin, “Above all, trust in the slow work of God.”