But God, that's not what I asked for...

When I was a little kid, I remember asking my mother how to spell a word and she would always reply with, "Go look it up in the dictionary!"...I would retort with a serious *blink...blink....blankstare*

What frustrated me the most about her reply was the fact that she's asking me to look something up knowing I have no clue exactly where to find it! Why on earth can't you tell me how to spell it?! Why can't you comply with my logical process and save  me the time of thumbing through an entire section of Webster!? ...but I did it, *shrugs* I was a pretty obedient child lol...but what I learned was that by going through the process of looking the word up, not only did I find the word I was looking for, I found many other words and even stopped to figure out what some of them meant!

Lately I've had to remind myself of this childhood lesson. I've found myself anxious about every area of my life simultaneously. Moreover, I find that many of the blessings God promised me require me to "go"! They involve my physical actions to result in manifestation. But my childhood lesson encourages me to realize that there is much to be learned on the path to manifestation.

Often times when you receive a finished product, you lack knowledge about the process. To me it's almost like gardening. When you go into the store, you have no idea where the fruits and vegetables came from, you know not what they've been through, you have no clue how they were cared for, what they went thru, if they're nice on the outside but all bruised in the center. But when you grow it in your own garden, although it may take longer, although it requires your attention, although it requires commitment to the process, in the end it was nurtured by you and therefore you know all about it!

But here's the best part...much like looking up a word in the dictionary, not only do you get what you were looking for (your fruit), but now you gain new found knowledge about gardening in the process! I'm learning that while you may ask God for a fruit, he'll give you a seed instead, not to frustrate you, but to mature you in areas necessary for the care of the fruit! That's the beauty in a seed. Having a seed, holding the potential, denotes your ability to nurture and care for that fruit from the beginning and to grow in the process!

Don't be discouraged when you ask God for a fruit and he gives you a seed instead. Often times, the process is just as important as the product. God allowing you to be present for the growth, symbolizes his need for your specific tending. 

"...But you can't give up on your seed. Don't quit!!" - Hart Ramsey <----- What he said.