Last week, I stepped on the scale expecting a breakthrough. I had been doing the work.
I was drinking my water.
I was walking every day.
I was exercising.
I was eating my cruciferous vegetables.
I was following the plan.
And after all of that effort, the scale moved only 0.8 pounds.
Less than a pound.
To be honest, I was discouraged. Not because I expected perfection. But because I expected more.
Have you ever felt that way?
You pray, and the answer doesn't come.
You work hard, and the progress seems invisible.
You make changes and wonder if any of it is making a difference.
You begin to question whether the effort is worth it.
As I stood there looking at that number, I found myself facing a question that had very little to do with weight loss.
Could I trust God even when the results were slower than I wanted?
The Problem With Modern Expectations
We live in a world of instant results.
We want fast shipping.
Fast internet.
Fast answers.
Fast healing.
Fast weight loss.
Fast success.
Yet God's creation rarely works that way.
The oak tree does not become mighty overnight.
The butterfly does not emerge from its chrysalis in a moment.
The seed does not become a harvest by morning.
Growth takes time.
Healing takes time.
Transformation takes time.
And sometimes the hardest part of the process is not the work itself.
It is the waiting.
The Verse That Carried Me
As I wrestled with my disappointment, my mind returned to a familiar promise:
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
— Isaiah 40:31
I have read that verse many times. But this time I noticed something different.
The promise is not that those who wait upon the Lord will immediately see results.
The promise is that they will receive strength.
Strength to continue.
Strength to trust.
Strength to keep walking.
Strength to remain faithful while the harvest is still beneath the soil.
That realization changed my perspective.
The Work Beneath the Surface
One of the beautiful things about God's natural laws is that much of the work happens where we cannot see it.
When a seed is planted, the first growth occurs underground.
Roots form before fruit appears. When I am in the garden, I do not dig up the seed every morning to check whether it is growing.
I water it.
I protect it.
And I wait.
Imagine if I planted Kale and then, three days later, declared the entire process a failure because nothing had appeared above the ground.
We would call that foolish.
Yet how often do we do the same thing with ourselves?
We expect immediate results.
When they don't appear, we become discouraged.
We assume nothing is happening.
But perhaps God is doing His greatest work beneath the surface.
Perhaps healing is taking place that we cannot yet measure.
Perhaps habits are being strengthened.
Perhaps inflammation is decreasing.
Perhaps energy is improving.
Perhaps systems within the body are quietly repairing themselves.
Not all progress can be seen on a scale.
Trusting the Process
One of the Natural Laws discussed in The Ministry of Healing is Trust in God.
I used to think trust meant believing that God could help me.
Now I am learning that trust also means continuing to follow His principles when I do not yet see the outcome.
Trust is not merely believing after the harvest arrives.
Trust is believing while the seed is still in the ground.
Trust is continuing to water.
Continuing to walk.
Continuing to pray.
Continuing to rest.
Continuing to obey.
Trust is choosing faithfulness over feelings.
And that is often much harder than it sounds.
Looking Back
Ironically, the week that discouraged me may have taught me more than the weeks when the scale moved quickly.
When the numbers are exciting, trust feels easy.
When progress appears slow, trust is tested.
That week forced me to ask a deeper question:
Am I following God's principles only when I get immediate results?
Or do I trust Him enough to continue even when I cannot yet see the harvest?
I believe many of us face that question in different areas of life.
Health.
Relationships.
Finances.
Parenting.
Spiritual growth.
The temptation is always the same.
Quit too soon.
Dig up the seed.
Abandon the process.
Walk away before the harvest arrives.
Waiting for the Harvest
As I continue this journey, I am learning that waiting is not wasted time.
Waiting is where trust grows.
Waiting is where faith develops roots.
Waiting is where God teaches us that He is worthy of confidence even when circumstances appear unchanged.
As a farmer, I wait because I trust the laws God established.
The Christian waits because he trusts the God who established them.
And so I will keep walking.
I will keep drinking my water.
I will keep eating the foods God has provided.
I will keep learning.
I will keep trusting.
Because perhaps the harvest is closer than it appears.
And perhaps the greatest miracle is not what happens when the harvest finally comes.
Perhaps the greatest miracle is who we become while waiting for it.
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