After thinking about some of the challenges I have endured, I have come to the conclusion that I am about to reap a lot of ‘bamboo harvests’.  No, I’m not a bamboo farmer, not literally… but there are seeds that I’ve sown years ago that I’ve never seen the return on.  I know that God’s word never returns to Him void; I know that He always keeps His promises; I know that God is not a man that He would lie.  Genesis 8:22 proclaims that as long as the earth remains, the Law of Reciprocity will be in effect.  Galatians 6:7 assures us that whatever we sow, we have a God-guarantee to receive a return on that investment.  Therefore, I may not have received some harvests yet, but I’m guaranteed to receive them.

So… one may ask the question, “Why do I have harvests that appear to have eluded me?”  Because of our microwave mentality, most of us typically become extremely impatient waiting on the manifestation of our ‘bamboo harvests’.  This little seed endures a season of underground activity that will never be witnessed by the sower.  Just because it goes unseen, doesn’t mean it is irrelevant.  The strong plant that develops from the bamboo seed is the result of a resilient seed overcoming multiple challenges and building strength through overcoming.

Many times when we are enduring a process, our attention is focused on the details of our dilemma and we miss the benefits of enduring the process.  Like the bamboo plant, the process that we endure strengthens us along the way. Every challenge that presents itself to us provides us with the opportunity to stand – and in standing we increase our strength.  Standing firmly against the things that oppose us measures our stamina and validates our strength.

There is a double blessing in the manifestation of our bamboo harvests: One, when they finally present themselves to us, they have been built up so greatly that opposition may bend them, but they never break; and two, when we finally receive them, we have been so built up through the process of waiting that we’re prepared to properly manage them in good times and when contrary winds come to try and break them.  The bamboo plant is strengthened through its process, and we are strengthened as we wait through its strengthening process.

Bamboo harvests take a long time to manifest, but they are so worth the wait!!! Time becomes the upgrade agent; Our blessing is multiplied and we are improved… we are made better through the process of waiting. We are Strengthened in Time!