Kaya’t huwag tayong magsawa sa paggawa ng mabuti; pagdating ng takdang panahon tayo ay aani kung hindi tayo magsasawa.

Mga Taga-Galacia 6:9

If you’re into skin care, you’ve probably heard about the Korean 10-step skin care routine. Mula nang umabot sa Pilipinas ang konseptong ito, marami ring mga Pilipinong gumaya dito. Or should I say, nag-attempt na gawin ang lahat ng steps. Pero ilan sa mga nagsimulang gawin itong routine ang napangatawanan ang routine in the long run? Maraming maaring dahilan bakit hindi na-sustain ang routine nang pangmatagalan — maaaring busy, nakakalimutan, o nakakatamaran. Siguro ang iba, hindi hiyang sa produkto, o hindi nila nakitaan ng pagbabago ang kutis nila.

Parang kapag nagsimula tayong mag-allot ng time for Bible reading. Sa una excited tayo. We have devotional books, journals, different colors of pens and markers, and sticky notes. Pero dumadating sa point na hindi natin napapangatawanan. The intention is there but we are not able to sustain the routine. Marami tayong dahilan — busy, nakakalimutan, late nagigising, inaantok agad, o nakakatamaran. O di kaya, hindi natin nakikita agad ang ini-expect nating improvement. Hindi dumadating ang answers to our prayers. It seems that no matter how much we devote studying the Word, nananahimik si God.

However, sabi nga sa Galatians 6:9 (NIV), “Let us not be weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Many times, we give up. We say, “Nothing seems to be happening,” or “God isn’t listening anyway,” or “I don’t see the results.” But the Scripture says, “at the proper time.” Tama nga naman, kailangan muna nating magpursige at huwag mag-expect ng instant harvest. If we trust that God knows what He’s doing, and that He is teaching us patience and persistence, we should be assured that a harvest is waiting if we do not give up.