“Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith” (Galatians 6:7-10, The Message).

You can’t microwave maturity. If you want spiritual growth and lasting change, you can’t expect it to happen overnight. As Kairos pastor Chris Brooks put it, most of us want righteousness in the amount of time it takes to cook a Hot Pocket. It doesn’t work that way.

The key is persistence. It’s about not giving up. It’s about showing up day after day with a surrendered heart, a positive mental outlook, and faith. Not necessarily big faith in God but faith in a big God who sees the bigger picture. Who sees the whole picture.

That’s a good reminder for me. No matter how bad things get during the hard days, the outcome is already assured. It’s your best possible future because God is already there.

Don’t give up.