Slow and steady watering produces some awesome fruit.
I recently read that the best way to water your garden is through drip irrigation. The rationale is when the leaves and blooms of veggies stay wet, it creates and opportunity for diseases to grow or things like mold.
Drip hoses look just like other hoses except when you turn them on, water doesn’t shoot out the end. Instead, tiny dots of water slowly seep through the porous hose and slowly soak the plants. At first glance, it looks like it would take forever to get the watering done. Compared to one of those spray guns where water comes out in a fast, bursting stream, using drip irrigation looks inefficient.
The key is to turn it on a leave it running for a while and yes, it really does get the roots completely soaked. The roots are where the plant needs the water and nutrients anyway, not the leaves. You never fertilize leaves. You fertilize roots.
Drip irrigation works on the slow and steady principle. When I think about it, that principle works best with just about everything in life, from getting in shape, to losing weight, to building relationships, to making and saving money. Slow and steady takes longer, but the results are usually better and more permanent.
I think our faith walk is much the same. We’ve all met those people who are just “on fire,” for God. They are often new to the faith and they often burn out just as quickly.
Faith takes time to grow, just like a garden. We have to establish strong and deep roots. It takes prayer and Bible study and worship. It takes Christian community. It’s a fruit of the Holy Spirit, so it’s not something we can simply create. It takes patience and obedience. It takes time.
But, if we take the time to walk with Jesus and be patient, a little bit at the time. Our faith, the faith that can be the size of a tiny mustard seed, can move mountains. That makes me smile and gives me peace, because I can do slow and steady. I’ll bet you can too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂