Keep Growing

I decided this year to try and plant a vegetable garden and I’m working hard to get the plants strong and ready to be transferred outside. I took care to mix the soil, scoop it into tiny cups, and gently place the seeds down into the soil. I watered them carefully, covered them, and then placed them in an area where they will get plenty of sunlight. I check on my little seedlings each day noticing that some of the seeds have germinated quickly while others have yet to make an appearance.

When my friend had told me how quickly tomato and zucchini seeds usually sprout I began to wonder why mine hadn’t yet come up. I considered starting over again but I figured I would adjust a few things and wait just a bit longer. The next day I had 7 little plants pushing through the dirt. I then began waiting on the peppers to sprout, wondering if any adjustments might help them grow.

Part of the difficulty of planting a garden from seeds is getting them to start growing in the first place.  Similarly, in counseling, sometimes the hard work is just getting the “seeds” to germinate. We’ve got to work hard to plant the seeds of change and then keep attending to them until we start to see growth. We have to keep practicing new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. It requires a lot of mental and emotional effort and sometimes it can feel exhausting or even hopeless.

Perhaps you’re working hard and not yet seeing the full rewards of your labor. Like myself, you’re staring at the “dirt” and wondering why there is no growth. Sometimes when we are working hard and not seeing growth we need to learn a few more things or try things a little differently. Sometimes, however, we just need to give it more time. Keep working hard; keep tending to your heart and the new things you are learning. The point that you may be ready to give up may be the exact moment when new life begins to push its way through.

Submitted by Sarah E. Loew, MS