Have you ever prayed and watched and waited, with a longing that aches deep in the core of your being? I imagine the answer is a resounding “yes!”

We have all walked the hard path of wondering when (or if?) the One in whom we rightfully place our faith and trust will choose to act. When will the LORD step in to do what only He can do? Is the hope we hold courageous … or foolish?

Stinging doubt is not from Him, but we all battle it, fighting off the swirl of unanswered questions, discouragement, and defeat … until … GOD grants us a precious glimpse of the beauty He is orchestrating, one that renews and emboldens our expectant gaze.

A tiny but powerful example of this wrestle has been playing out in our garden this summer. As I turned to my plant app again and again to identify every sprig emerging from our yard, we discovered the baby beginnings of a clematis vine.

I immediately envisioned the vine climbing a wrought iron trellis we found on the property, bursting with big purple flowers of every shade. My husband gave me a similar plant when we were dating, 25 years ago. It climbed the lattice on the side porch of my apartment. As our story blossomed, the clematis did too!

Sadly, the tale of our new-found clematis vine has been very different. It did, indeed, grow and climb, and cover that trellis with hundreds of promising new shoots and baby leaves. But no flowers. Not even a bud!

All summer we watched, checking it regularly with bright expectation, only to have our shoulders slump (again) when no sign appeared of the full potential we imagined. We started to wonder if we were foolish to train it, care for it, and carry such high hopes for our once-baby clematis vine.

How often am I guilty of this when it comes to weightier longings in my heart?! I dream up a glowing “end of the story” and sink into a disheartened lump of melancholy when I see no signs of progress in that direction.

Our Creator has endowed us with His heart for creativity and every reason to hope, it’s true! But have I forgotten that the very best “end of the story” is crafted and directed by Him alone? Is His best not worth waiting for?

In His grace and mercy, the LORD sometimes pulls back the curtain to give us a sneak peek behind the scenes. This is exactly what happened with our clematis.

Just a few days ago, on my morning run, I spotted a new row of blooms along the bike path. Clusters of beautiful little white flowers against dark green leaves. With summer waning and the first signs of autumn emerging, that hearty burst of fresh, pure, white amongst a bed of lush green was so refreshing and hope-filled!

Identifying this wonderful new discovery with my trusty plant app, I was surprised and delighted to learn that it is an “Italian Clematis”, just like the one growing in our garden! I smiled to realize the LORD had just given me a sneak peek of what I will enjoy in my own yard very soon!

Sure enough, just this week, our own little clematis has filled in with buds … and now I watch expectantly, eagerly anticipating the Creator’s true vision of the beauty that will blossom in His perfect time.

Much like with those weightier longings on my heart, I sit in the “not yet.” I am so grateful to be reminded that our GOD can be trusted with the end of the story that will surprise and delight me most. His best is infinitely better than I could dream up on my own – and absolutely worth waiting for!

𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴… ⁣
𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘮.⁣
𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭.⁣
𝘏𝘢𝘴 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘏𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵?⁣
𝘏𝘢𝘴 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘏𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥?⁣
𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭; 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴.⁣
𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 – ⁣
𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮?⁣
𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘖𝘋.⁣
𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰, ⁣
𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘖𝘋.⁣
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘖𝘋; ⁣
𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘪𝘮.⁣
𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.⁣
⁣
𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝟔𝟐:𝟖 . 𝐇𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝟏𝟎:𝟐𝟑 . 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝟐𝟑:𝟏𝟗 . 𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐚 𝟐𝟏:𝟒𝟓 . 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝟏𝟐𝟏:𝟏 . 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝟏𝟐𝟑:𝟐 . 𝟐 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝟐𝟎:𝟏𝟐 . 𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐚𝐡 𝟐𝟓:𝟗