One of the hardest things about nurturing a dream is believing that it will come to pass.
After all, a lot of it is in the sowing. In the early and middle stages, very little is reaped.
When I carried both children, I remember being amazed by the invisible-ness of it all. Save for the first ultrasound, it was hard to believe there was life in me.
I often wondered how Mary felt when she carried Jesus. With no ultrasounds or test kits – all she had to hold onto was an angelic visitation.
Like me, do you often feel like you’re sowing into a black hole? You could be working all your life on something… with no returns.
Beloved, if it’s a vision God has given to you, hold on.
In 2015, I wrote a manuscript for what I’d hoped to be my first written book, different from my previous 4 picture books. I couldn’t decide if I should publish locally or take the arduous task of trying internationally.
One day, I had a dream of two trees- both tall, but one much taller than the other. I felt God say, “Whether you publish locally or internationally, I will bless both endeavors. But the path that takes more time will bear greater fruit. Taller trees take more time to grow.”
But without networks in the international publishing world, it felt like a mist.
Year after year, I wrote, applied and got rejected. I trashed, edited and rewrote. I wrote to editors and agents and publishing houses—
— Until late last year, an American agent from a reputable Christian agency wrote back and said she’d picked me. It was only last week, that my agent @marydemuth said two US publishers showed interest.
Between 2015 to 2022, was 7 years of waiting and heartbreak.
I don’t know about you – but if you’re carrying a dream, it might seem nothing is going on. But gestation takes time. A baby needs time.
Whatever your craft, keep honing it. Amidst all the rejections, know it doesn’t invalidate who you are. It doesn’t deny the growth of your dream trajectory, as long as you remain faithful to carry it to birth. Stay faithful to steward the destiny within you, and at the right time, may you reap the treasure of your reward, one fruit at a time.