Did you know it takes 180 days of sun to ripen a watermelon? No wonder some are so much sweeter than others. They look completely the same on the outside, and yet on the inside, the sun makes all the difference.
We get so impatient in this world to be finished with things; to be a complete product ready to market and sell. We want to be at the top of our careers and enjoying a perfect marriage. We want our kids to have turned out well when they’re only 11 and we judge our daily success on numbers rather than relationships. Honey, I checked off 16 things on my To Do list, but forgot to call my mother…..again.
The most important things in life require 180 days of sunshine, if not more. We are never at the top of a career because that would make us stagnant, and no longer worthy of the top. We are always learning more, which helps ripen us to become more than we thought possible. A good marriage isn’t something you reach, but something you continue to work at every day. My husband and I have been married for 22 years and we are definitely partaking of sweet fruit never dreamed of in the beginning of our journey. But we still need to take care of our marriage for it to continue forward in a positive way.
Applying this analogy to parenting, it becomes something of a comfort. Hearing my son ask for the hundredth time how to use the washing machine can be downright frustrating. There are any number of things we can and should expect out of our children, but every once in a while, when one doesn’t know not to put foil in the microwave, or how to be compassionate to a friend who has lost a family member, I try to remember he’s not finished yet. I’m in my forties and I’m not finished yet. They haven’t even had their 180 days of sun to get them started.
Sometimes we need to sit back and let the sunshine do it’s job. Just be, and allow the process to work. Teach and learn a little bit each day. Enjoy the sweet moments and try to learn from mistakes – like picking a mushy watermelon with too many seeds.
Our Heavenly Father gave us His Son to give us the light we need to grow. His light is always shining; it is always available. With His light, our careers and marriages, children and relationships will ripen and grow to a perfect sweetness, bearing fruit we can only imagine. So sit back, and let the light shine.