Hello Reader,

Several weeks ago my oldest son came home from the store with a bag of dirt, some packets of seeds and a container of planting pots. He decided he wanted to grow a few things so he got everything assembled, filled his containers with planting soil and planted his seeds.

Day in and day out he has misted his little plants, checked on the soil, invested in a heat lamp to add more light and even used Saran Wrap to cover some plants and create a barrier so the moisture wouldn't escape from the area too quickly. I'm not exactly sure what all has been happening, but there hasn't been a lot of dirt on my floors in the plant area, so I just let it be.

As I watch my 6'1'' teenager crouch low to observe these tiny little pods of dirt each day I marvel at his patience, his care, his concern for his mint plant, or his strawberry sprout. Week after week nothing shifted in these little pods, but he faithfully misted, brought into the light, kept away from the cold air, or moved into the sunshine to stay warm. Day in and day out he has done to work to create the environment for these plants to move from seed, to sprout, to plant, to fruit yielding harvest. Finally, this week, we can see signs of these little seeds having taken what was a dried up seed and under the right environment is beginning to bring forth the beginning stages of life and fruitfulness.

Now, the seed has sprouted, but my son knows it's not yet time to harvest it. He can't go in and pick at it or disturb the soil or irritate the conditions. Those sprouts still need care and attention to grow and become what they were planted to become.

As I've been watching him these past months care for these seeds now sprouts, I've been thinking about the beauty and hard work of planting seasons. So often in life we have the patience for seeds to turn into sprouts, we understand babies take time to grow and mature, we celebrate the small milestones of seeing a sprout form from a plant and yet when we come to our faith we don't carry the same principle. I can't tell you how often I hear from women, and even battle this frustration myself, of how they wish God would move faster. Why hasn't this struggle subsided yet? How long will I have to endure this season? Why can't I get to that stage in my faith yet?

I get it. Trust me, I get the desire for fruit when all you've got is a seed. However, as I watched my son celebrate the seed turning into a sprout he didn't grow frustrated in not yet having fruit. In fact the visual confirmation of his sprout shooting forth was encouragement to him that he was doing all the right things and that in due time he would in fact have his mint leaves, or strawberries, or peppers. He celebrated the sprout and the stage of growth his seeds had produced.

How wonderful it would be if we would celebrate the spiritual growth of ourselves as well. Yes, the goal is always to produce fruit, of course. But it's also so important to take time and consider where we are in the process and celebrate that perhaps the things God planted in us have taken root, maybe there is a sprout, it's still unsteady and needs work, but it's there. And if we keep doing the work, in due time the sprout will strengthen and turn into fruit.

Faith takes time. We don't have it all at once. We learn it as we go, as we struggle, as God moves in and through us to draw us closer to Him. It is in the process of walking out our salvation that all these spiritual sprouts begin to form and take life.

"let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

Galatians 6:9

As we walk through this year together (can you believe it's already the end of February!?!) let's celebrate the growth, looking forward to what will come, but giving thanks for what God is doing. And let's give ourselves, and God, the time He requires to do the work in us.

What has God planted in your soul that is beginning to sprout and take root?

Father, help me remember that growth takes time, not just in the natural order of creation and life and plants, but in my own spirit as well. Let my heart be fertile soil for Your work. In the name of Jesus and by the power of the Spirit I pray, amen.

In His Grace,

A Special Offer Just for My Friends 🥳:

If you've been around a while you know I've often partnered with Katie Orr over at the Bible Study Hub for the Enjoy God Word Bible Conferences and other projects. This March I am teaching a 3 Week Series on the book of Philippians over at the Bible Study Hub. It's a 15 day, verse by verse study approach.

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Katie is running a special where if you are interested in not just my teaching on Philippians, but all the teachings in the Bible Study (including several from me through the book of Esther, the study of David, teachings on Revelation, Ephesians and much more) you can get a lifetime entrance into the Hub with all it's present, past, and future teachings for a one time offer, exclusive to the Girlfriends in the Word™ community available until March 7th.

If you're interested in this, or just learning more about the session on Philippians click the link below. The Philippians study runs March 10-28 over at the Bible Study Hub, but it's flexible and you can start anytime if another date works for you. 👇🏻

Let's Connect on Social 😁

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​ Natalia Drumm is a wife, homeschooling mother to three boys, and graduate from Dallas Theological Seminary with a passion for women's ministry and sharing the Gospel. Seeking to glorify God through equipping women to study Scripture and grow in their faith, she is the creator of Girlfriends in the Word™ Bible studies for busy women. To learn more, or connect with her online you can find her on Instagram @nataliadrumm or check out her website www.nataliadrumm.com​

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