This week marks the first day of Spring. A new season. So many possibilities. It’s amazing how our bodies naturally crave the beauty and growth of Spring after a Winter season. It’s like an itch that starts happening right in line with the calendar. We want to get outside, dig in the dirt and plant something and watch it grow.

This happened to my 9-year-old son last week. He asked if we could plant something in the garden. I swiftly ordered some carrot seeds, and just a couple of days later we were outside preparing the garden box and carefully dropping seeds every 1-2 inches.

Every day since we have been not-so patiently waiting for some sprouts to come out. We want this process to be instant. One day after coming back inside from checking the carrots, I started thinking about how we tend to do this in our spiritual lives, in our marriages and other relationships. We throw a tiny seed in the ground and expect a harvest right away. This is not how it happens though. Sometimes a seed is planted and then it takes a full generation to see the fruit.

At the beginning of the year, the Lord started dealing with my heart around the word “abide.” I knew that this word was found in John 15, so I immediately went there and started digging around to find out what He was saying. There I went again….searching for instant gratification.

He asked me to sit with the scripture and actually let it take root in me. At face value, I knew exactly what these scriptures meant, but really taking time to understand the full implications took time. Some synonyms to the word abide are obey, observe, follow, keep to, hold to, tolerate, bear, stand, put up with, endure, suffer.

Which one of these words stuck out to you? For me, endure was the one that grabbed my heart. This means that in order to be a part of this vine, I would have to endure. I would have to hang around through the dry seasons, the hard seasons.

Why do we always think negatively about this process? What He has so gently taught me over the past few months is that yes, I must endure, but if He is the vine, then He never leaves.

John 15:1-5, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Whatever season you find yourself, know that if you are abiding in Him, you are not alone. By design, He walks with us through broken relationships, through sickness, hard times, and promises to never leave. What area are you trying to rush in your relationships? What place are you choosing not to abide? Where do you find yourself being pruned?

I am not an expert gardener so I don’t know if those carrot seeds will ever sprout. But I do know that it will take time. I know that I must observe, follow, keep to and obey. The beauty in all of this is not just what is produced in you when you do this. The beauty is found in how this translates to your marriage, to your relationships with your kids and coworkers. When we do the hard work of abiding, He changes us. What sprouts out of our hearts is new life. Just like a new season. The result is beautiful, even when it’s hard. I challenge you to abide with Him. Read this scripture every day for a month. Watch what happens. Apart from Him we can do nothing.

Written by: Taran Nelson. Taran and her husband, Kyle, pastor in Jacksonville, FL with their three children.