japanese bamboo
You don’t have to be a farmer to know that a good harvest requires good seed, good fertilizer and constant irrigation. It is also obvious that one who cultivates the land does not stand impatiently in front of the sown seed and shout with all his might: “Grow up, damn you!”
There is something very curious that happens with Japanese bamboo and that transforms it into not suitable for the impatient: You sow the seed, you fertilize it, and you take care of constantly watering it. During the first months nothing appreciable happens. Nothing really happens to the seed for the first seven years, to the point where an inexperienced grower would be convinced they bought infertile seeds. However, during the seventh year, in a period of only six weeks the bamboo plant grows more than 30 meters! Did it take only six weeks to grow?
No. The truth is that it took seven years and six weeks to develop. During the first seven years of apparent inactivity, this bamboo was generating a complex root system that would allow it to sustain the growth it would have after seven years. However, in everyday life many people try to find quick fixes, hasty triumphs, without understanding that success is simply the result of internal growth and that it takes time. Perhaps due to the same impatience, many of those who aspire to short-term results suddenly give up just when they were about to achieve the goal. It is a difficult task to convince the impatient that only those who fight perseveringly and know how to wait for the right moment will succeed. In the same way, it is necessary to understand that on many occasions we will be faced with situations in which we will believe that nothing is happening. And this can be extremely frustrating. In those moments (which we all have), we must remember the maturation cycle of Japanese bamboo, and accept that as long as we do not lower our arms, nor give up because we do not “see” the result we expect, something is happening inside us: we are growing, maturing Those who do not give up gradually and imperceptibly create the habits and temper that will allow them to sustain success when it finally materializes.
Success is nothing more than a process that takes time and dedication. A process that requires learning new habits and forces us to discard others. A process that requires changes, action and formidable skills of patience.
Ask God for that patience and perseverance and remember to entrust yourself to the Holy Spirit every day so that he enlightens you in the projects you have to undertake and to find the best strategy that allows you to achieve your goals.
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