Not Finished Yet

"Are we going to tap all the trees today?" asked Soren as he helped Dad drill a hole into the trunk of a maple tree and insert a little pipe. "That will take forever!""Making maple syrup does take a long time, and it's hard work," said Dad. "But it's worth the effort." Once all the maple trees had buckets hanging from the pipes to collect the sap that would drip out during the week, they returned to the house and Soren slumped into a chair. "In another week or so, we'll have to collect all those buckets of sap," he said. "But we won't have syrup yet! First we'll have to dump the sap into that big container and build a fire under it and boil it for a long time. By the time the water is out of the sap, we'll probably have one little pail of syrup!" He sighed. "All that work for just a little syrup. It'd be a lot easier to just buy syrup instead of making it!""True," said Mom. "But it wouldn't be nearly as good. We're going for quality. Keep at it and we'll be eating the best pancakes ever!""Do not grow weary in doing good," said Dad.Soren smiled. "I know that Bible verse, but I don't think it's talking about making syrup.""I don't think so either," said Dad. "But maybe we can learn something if we compare making syrup with growing spiritually. As we patiently keep that fire going under the sap, we get good results--delicious maple syrup. And as God works in our hearts, helping us get to know Jesus better and show His love to others, He brings out good results too."Mom nodded. "As we make maple syrup this year, let's remember that God is doing similar work in us. We can trust Him to use the experiences of our lives to make us more like Jesus and grow in our relationship with Him. He isn't finished with any of us yet--He will patiently continue His work in us until the day we see Jesus face-to-face." –Nance E. Keyes