I was struck the other day when I was with a group of people, gathered for someone's birthday. Everyone sitting around was sharing kind words for the birthday girl, and I found the things that they wished for her next year to be very interesting. The hope for her was that she would see fruit. That is, success, for her hard work. At first glance this seems usual, of course we want our friends to be successful, of course we want them to prosper, of course we want them to see the fruits of their labors.

But why is this 'of course'?
Why are we always hoping for the results?

It is human nature, I suppose.

 But I felt a challenge within myself.
Am I working for results, to see the fruit, or am I content {dare I say excited!} about putting in the hard work of building relationships, a business, a movement?
 What if we encouraged people to dive into their seasons of planting?

To embrace those seasons and to enjoy them?
To know that maybe we will work hard and plant, and nothing may ever grow.

 Does that make the work of the labor and the harvest worth nothing?
 Does that make it less meaningful?

I just don't think so.