What can ride ocean currents for years before finally
washing ashore and springing to life? According to National Geographic’s World
magazine, it’s a nut that is native to
These 2-inch, chestnut-colored nuts are hardy, heart-shaped seeds that grow on high-climbing vines. They often fall into rivers and float out to sea. There they may ride the currents for years before coming to shore and sprouting into a plant.
This life-bearing, time-enduring, wave-riding seed illustrates a basic spiritual principle. Life gives us many opportunities to develop patience. This was true in this week’s parasha. Noah needed patience when building the Ark. As a ship builder he need to make sure the Ark would survive the pounding waves of the flood. As God’s messenger he needed patience in dealing with the generations of the flood in the hope of convincing them to repent. If he was successful, they would have repented and their punishment would have been averted. Noah certainly needed patience caring for all the different needs of the animals on the ark.
Sea hearts can’t choose to be patient, but we can.
Nothing is harder or better for us than to accept King Solomon’s advice, when
he wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:8 “The patient in spirit is better than the proud in
spirit.” By being patient we can have
peace, and our faith will grow—even while we are riding out the waves
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