At the end of spring, I planted zinnia seeds in several pots in my backyard. The packet promised blooms in 30-60 days, so I watered and waited. Weeks went by, then what felt like months. Nothing but weeds. I told myself the seeds must have been duds. And by mid-summer, I had written them off. I stopped checking the pots.

Then one morning, after the first cool breeze of fall, I walked outside to see bright, bold blooms bursting from the soil. Just when I thought the time window had passed, new life was just beginning. I carried a few inside and placed them in a vase on my kitchen counter. Every time I walked by, they preached a sermon I didn’t know I needed: God’s timing isn’t held bound by worldly promises.

Sometimes we assume if God was going to move, He would have already. We pray, we wait, and when the days stretch long, we quietly give in to disappointment. We think, Maybe it’s too late.

What if we let fall teach us otherwise? The leaves may be falling in surrender to the cooling air and shifting of seasons, but God can surprise us with blooms when we least expect it. What looks “past due” to us may be right on time according to God’s plan (Habakkuk 2:3).

When I clipped those zinnias, I realized how often I treat my own life like those seed packets. I expect God to move within my chosen time frame . . . and when He doesn’t, I assume the harvest is cancelled. Yet scripture reminds us not to grow weary, because in due season, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).

Maybe you’re carrying prayers that feel unanswered, dreams that still seem dormant, or hopes that you’ve buried long ago. Can I remind you of something? God is not bound by the timelines printed on our expectations. His seasons are set by His wisdom and sovereignty.

Yes, fall is a season of slowing down and letting go, but it’s also a season where God delights to surprise us with unexpected beauty. So, if you find yourself in a waiting place, don’t give up. Keep tending the soil of your faith.

Keep watering your trust in Him. One day, maybe when the air grows crisp and you’ve stopped looking for it, you may find a bloom bursting forth — proof that God was at work all along.