The Impatient Gardener

 

    A young man once bought a small sapling. He brought it to his home and out into his yard. He found a nice spot with plenty of sunshine and protection from the wind. With great care, he dug a small hole and planted the young sapling. He covered it with garden soil and watered it just enough. Content with his efforts he went back inside his home for the day. 

    The next day, the young man awoke excited to see the growth of his sapling. He made his way out into the yard to the spot where he had planted it the day before. He looked down at the sapling and a frown fell on his face. The sapling had not grown at all. It looked exactly the same as it had the day before. The young man thought to himself, "How could this be? I did everything I could for this sapling. I planted it in the perfect spot, gave it good soil, and watered it just enough." Frustrated, the young man tugged the sapling right out of the ground and cast it to the side before returning to his home once again. 

A Key Attribute

    It is likely that none of us would expect a young sapling to show any notable growth in a single day. However, how often do we strive to achieve something and quickly become frustrated with our own lack of progress? We are much like the young man. We put so much effort into something and expect the results to come quickly. We fail to recognize that a sapling does not become a fully-fledged tree in a day. Whatever we are working towards, whether it be developing ourselves, learning something new, or achieving a goal, we must learn the key attribute of patience. 

    The young man in the story lacked patience. He thought that his efforts would bring him a great reward in a very short amount of time. When the plant did not achieve what he hoped it would, he cast it aside. We should not be so quick to cast aside things in our own life that can yield great results if given time and diligent care. The young man should have continued to care for the sapling over time, until one day he could eat of its fruit, rest in its shade, and admire its great beauty.