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(Note:
The following message is a companion article to a message
which aired on Autism One Radio. To hear the broadcast
at any time, please go to:
http://autismone.org/radio/default.cfm?archive=932&bg=&FromA1
and click on the arrow above “Listen to Jack and
Rebecca Sytsema.”)
WAITING
FOR THE ORCHID TO BLOOM
Let
us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper
time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians
6:9, NIV)
A
FEW YEARS AGO, I ATTENDED A CONFERENCE in which the
speaker painted a beautiful picture with her words.
She told of planting a wild strawberry plant in her
garden one year and of the wonderful strawberries she
was able to harvest and enjoy with very little effort.
Not knowing much about strawberries, she was surprised
to see that her plant not only survived the winter but
thrived and began to spread. In the years that followed
it grew with very little care and continued to spread
until finally it had overtaken her whole garden.
She then
told of her orchid plant. This fragile and delicate
life needed much more care than the strawberry plant.
It required the right amount of light and water; the
perfect temperature and humidity levels. The food had
to be just so. The stock needed to be propped up as
it grew. The orchid plant needed to be constantly checked
to be sure that its growing conditions did not need
to be adjusted this way or that. Unlike the strawberry
plant that flourished on its own, the orchid needed
constant attention to encourage growth. In the end,
however, her orchid bloomed, rewarding her commitment
with a rich, colorful bud unlike any other she had seen—one
that she was indeed very proud of.
The strawberry
plant is like the typical child—growing, thriving,
and blooming on her own. The orchid is the child who,
like our son, has autism. Nothing is simple, nothing
is taken for granted. Without the right conditions of
diet, intensive therapy, constant care and nurturing,
these children would not thrive. They would not learn.
They would remain locked in a dark, lonely, and confusing
world known as autism. They would, indeed, wither and
eventually die without having bloomed.
But my husband
and I, like so many other parents we have come to know,
are becoming experts in raising the orchid God has given
us, and we are being rewarded for our efforts. Every
new skill is truly precious. He says a few words, he
gives a hug, he looks in our eyes, he knows his name.
These are indeed small and expected accomplishments
for most children. But to a child with autism, these
are major milestones. They represent the promise of
an orchid bud that is emerging from the dark and is
beginning to bloom.
The commitment
of time and resources can be overwhelming. The change
in lifestyle is radical. But a child who once had no
hope that now shows the promise of a fulfilling future
is truly priceless. Children with autism do have a hope
and a future. They have God-given potential and destinies
to fulfill. Though we as their parents may have to work
harder to help them each and every step of the way,
in the end we will truly have children of which we can
be profoundly proud.
Nevertheless,
waiting on God’s timing is not always an easy
thing to do. Especially in our society inundated with
cell phones, microwaves, email, instant this, and instant
that. We are conditioned to seeing things happen now.
It is so easy to look at the immediate circumstances
of our situation and say that we cannot see God at work
because the circumstances seem so insurmountable and
overwhelming, and often times, nothing seems to be happening.
But to those who are in covenant with God through Jesus,
and who are living with Him as their Lord, they can
be assured that God is very much at work in their circumstances
to fulfill His promise of Romans 8:28: “And we
know that in all things God works for the good of those
who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose.” God is busily preparing for the orchid
of our lives to bloom, and it will do so in His time.
There are
certain things as we go through the waiting process
that we need to be aware of. Patience itself can produce
certain other worthwhile benefits in our lives. Here
are some biblical byproducts of waiting on God:
1.
PATIENCE IS LINKED WITH WISDOM.
“A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his
glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11).
People of wisdom are people of patience. Another Proverb
says, “A patient man has great understanding,
but a quick-tempered man displays folly” (Proverbs
14:29). The more patience we allow the Holy Spirit to
work in us, the more wisdom we will have for living
our lives.
2.
PATIENCE HELPS US PERSUADE THOSE IN AUTHORITY.
“Through patience a ruler can be persuaded”
(Proverbs 25:15). It isn’t the fast-talking, high-gloss
presentations that will ultimately persuade the ones
who are in authority over us. Those who display patience
that not only know how to wait for the right timing,
but they also leaves a lasting impression of good character
and dependability—a very persuasive combination.
3.
PATIENCE IS NECESSARY TO POSSESS INHERITANCE.
“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate
those who through faith and patience inherit what has
been promised” (Hebrews 6:12). Just as it is with
any inheritance, there is a time to possess it. If we
were to try to possess an inheritance that has been
promised to us in a family situation before the right
time, we stand the risk of becoming disinherited. God
has given us promises for our future, but if we do not
wait on His timing, we could lose the fruit of those
promises. Another passage in Hebrews puts it like this,
“You need to persevere so that when you have done
the will of God, you will receive what he has promised”
(Heb 10:36).
4.
PATIENCE IS A COMPONENT OF LOVE.
“Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians
13:4). This is a lesson that we, as parents of special
needs children, know better than anyone. Most of us
seem to have a supernatural level of patience with our
children. With all that is demanded of us, however,
it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that we need
great patience in the other important relationships
of our lives as well, including our spouse, extended
family, and good friends. It’s important to remember
that these are the ones with whom God has connected
us, and the ones who will be committed to helping us
through in the long run.
5.
PATIENCE PRODUCES ENDURANCE.
“being strengthened with all power according to
his glorious might so that you may have great endurance
and patience” (Colossians 1:11). No marathon runner
began by running marathons. It took the patience of
training to gain the necessary endurance to run the
race. It is no different with us. As we allow God to
take us through the training of life, the patience we
develop will give us not only the endurance to run the
race to the end, but finish it well. “But those
who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they
shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run
and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”
(Isaiah 40:31, NKJ)
6.
PATIENCE RAISES THE WATER LEVEL OF OTHER FRUIT OF THE
SPIRIT.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23). It seems
to be a spiritual law that the fruit of the Spirit are
interconnected. Therefore, the more we have of one,
the more we will have of the rest. What that means is
that as we have more love, we will have more faithfulness;
as we have more joy, we will have more peace, etc. Therefore,
as we allow the Holy Spirit to work patience within
us, we will see the water level of love, joy, peace,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
all rise to an equivalent degree within us.
7.
PATIENCE PRODUCES CHARACTER AND HOPE.
“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope
does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his
love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has
given us” (Romans 5:3-5). Patience is truly a
virtue, and those who have it tend to have great character
as well. But here we see that those with patience also
possess hope. Why? Because those who wait patiently
on the Lord have seen Him move, and know that He will
move again. Their hope is in the Lord because, through
patience, they have seen the depths of His grace, mercy,
and power to overcome any of life’s obstacles.
And, they know that He will do it again!
May God grant
you the patience in every circumstance of your life
to see the orchid bloom!
With blessings,
Jack and Rebecca Sytsema
©2006,
Children of Destiny. All rights reserved.
__________________________________
WAITING
FOR THE ORCHID TO BLOOM
SCRIPTURE GUIDE
A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory
to overlook an offense.
(Proverbs 19:11, NIV)
Through
patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue
can break a bone.
(Proverbs 25:15, NIV)
But
those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall
run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
(Isaiah 40:31, NKJ)
The
end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience
is better than pride.
(Ecclesiastes 7:8, NIV)
But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23, NIV)
being
strengthened with all power according to his glorious
might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified
you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the
kingdom of light.
(Colossians 1:11-12, NIV)
Therefore,
as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness
and patience.
(Colossians 3:12, NIV)
But
for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me,
the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his
unlimited patience as an example for those who would
believe on him and receive eternal life.
(1 Timothy 1:16, NIV)
We
do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those
who through faith and patience inherit what has been
promised.
(Hebrews 6:12, NIV)
A
patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered
man displays folly.
(Proverbs 14:29, NIV)
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in
prayer.
(Rom 12:12, NIV)
Love
is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does
not boast, it is not proud.
(1 Corinthians 13:4, NIV)
Be
completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with
one another in love.
(Ephesians 4:2, NIV)
Let
us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper
time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
(Galatians 6:9, NIV)
Let
us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he
who promised is faithful.
(Hebrews 10:23, NIV)
Because
of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will
grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be
saved.
(Matthew 24:12-13, NIV)
You
need to persevere so that when you have done the will
of God, you will receive what he has promised.
(Hebrews 10:36, NIV)
Consider
it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of
many kinds, because you know that the testing of your
faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish
its work so that you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything.
(James 1:2-4, NIV)
Not
only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because
we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint
us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
(Romans 5:3-5, NIV)
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