One day, I decided =
to quit. I wanted to quit my job, to quit my relationships, to quit my =
marriage, to quit my spirituality; I even wanted to quit my life. I went =
to the woods to have one last talk with God. "God," I said, =
"Can you give me one good reason not to =
quit?"
His answer =
surprised me. "Look around," He said, "do you see the =
fern and the bamboo?"
"Yes," I =
replied.
"When I =
planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I =
gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the =
earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came =
from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the =
bamboo."
"In the second =
year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came =
from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the =
bamboo."
"In the third =
year there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not =
quit."
"In the fourth =
year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Still, I would not =
quit."
"Then in the =
fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it =
was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the =
bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
You see, it had =
spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave =
it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a =
challenge they could not handle," He reminded =
me.
"Did you know, =
my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually =
been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on =
you! Don’t compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different =
purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your =
time will come," God said to me. "You will rise =
high."
"How high =
should I rise?" I asked.
"How high will =
the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.
"As high as it =
can?", I questioned.
"Yes," He =
said, "Give Me glory by rising as high as you can. And remember, I =
will never leave you, nor forsake you. I will never give up on you. I =
will never, ever quit on you."
~~
Dr Bob =
Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net =
"Jesus Knows Me, This I =
Love!"