If you hope to accomplish something worthwhile you must understand that great things take time. A great business, a great family, marriage, or kids takes time. Who you hope to be and what you hope to do will not only take time it will also have to stand the test of time. Because before you can reach your best you’ll first have to go through a period of injustice and pain. It takes nine months of discomfort and pain to bring a child into this world and many difficult and frustrating years before you can raise that child to become a successful adult. It took Moses 40 frustrating years of circling in the desert before the people of Israel could enter the Promised Land. As a teenager, David was anointed king but before he could sit on the throne he had to go through 15 years of incredible hardships. And, even though it only took Nehemiah 52 days to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, those 52 days were preceded by years of frustrating preparation. 

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” 

 – Proverbs 13:12  

Unfortunately, our present generation is high on self-esteem but low on tolerance and patience. Waiting or paying the price is not something people like to do today. They see injustice and pain as a reason to quit, but God sees the injustice and pain as the framework through which to develop greatness. The problem is that quitting sickens the heart; you’ll become sick of crying and complaining that others seem to be getting ahead while it seems like you’re being left behind. If you’re not patient eventually you’ll move on but you’ll also miss out. 

When God wants to do something worthwhile He will take His time, He always saves His best for last. You’ll need to learn to actively wait on God by preparing and being attentive. Yes, it can be very frustrating but when what you long for is accomplished it’s like a tree of life. In the Bible, the tree of life stands as a symbol of God’s life-giving presence and the fullness of earthly and eternal life. In other words, when you accomplish what you hope for it will become a source of God’s ongoing physical and spiritual life for you.