How to Trust God When the Timeline Is Longer Than You Expected | Think Better. Live Braver. series part 6 | Ep 382
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Staying in the Game When the Fruit Feels Slow
I don’t know who needs to hear this today, but starting is rarely the hard part.
Starting is exciting. Starting has energy. Starting has hope and fresh notebooks and maybe even a fun new pen. Starting feels spiritual and brave and full of possibility.
Staying?
Staying is where it gets awkward.
Staying is where the dopamine wears off.
Staying is where Tuesday shows up.
Staying is where you’ve been faithful, doing the work, showing up… and you’re quietly wondering, Is any of this actually working?
If you’ve ever felt that tension, welcome. You’re in good company. Pull up a chair.
The Quiet Fear We Don’t Always Say Out Loud
There’s a particular kind of discouragement that creeps in during slow seasons. It doesn’t shout. It whispers.
“If this were really God, wouldn’t it be working by now?”
“Why does it seem like everyone else is moving faster?”
“Did I miss something?”
“Is this just not meant for me?”
That’s what I call short-game thinking.
It’s subtle. It sounds reasonable. And it can quietly pull us out of obedience long before we ever decide to quit. It’s like that moment in a movie where the montage ends and suddenly the hero is just… doing laundry again. Not very cinematic.
Scripture gives us a much bigger frame for our lives than quick wins and highlight reels.
Galatians 6:9 says it plainly:
📖 “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” (NASB)
That verse assumes two things that are really important:
There is a due time.
There is a real temptation to quit before we get there.
The calling isn’t just to start well. It’s to stay.
Roots Before Shoots (Yes, We’re Talking About Bamboo)
There’s a type of bamboo called moso bamboo. It’s famous for one reason: it looks like nothing is happening for years.
For the first four to five years after it’s planted, there are no visible shoots. No progress you can point to. No evidence it’s “working.” Just dirt. A whole lot of dirt.
If you didn’t know how bamboo grows, you’d assume the seed was bad. Or the farmer messed up. Or it just wasn’t meant to grow. Or you’d be Googling, “How long before I demand a refund?”
But underground, something critical is happening.
That bamboo is developing an extensive root system—deep and wide—strong enough to support what’s coming next. And when it finally breaks the surface, it can grow up to 75 feet in a single season.
Seventy-five feet.
The growth looks sudden, but it isn’t sudden at all. It’s the result of years of unseen faithfulness.
That’s often how God works in us.
When the fruit feels slow, it doesn’t mean nothing is happening. It often means something important is happening beneath the surface. Roots before shoots, my friend.
Staying Is an Act of Trust
Jesus talked about this in the parable of the talents. A master entrusts his servants with something valuable and then leaves. No timeline. No check-ins. No “just circling back” emails.
Two servants stay engaged. They invest what they were given. One doesn’t lose what he was given—he hides it. Fear convinces him that staying safe is wiser than staying invested.
Jesus doesn’t praise speed in this story. He doesn’t reward who finished first. There’s no gold medal ceremony.
He rewards faithfulness.
📖 “The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much.” (Luke 16:10, NASB)
Faithfulness isn’t flashy. It’s steady. It’s showing up again and again, even when the results feel slow and the applause is… nonexistent.
Three Ways to Stay in the Game
When things feel quiet or slow, staying isn’t about doing more. It’s about staying connected. Here are three simple shifts that help us move from short-game thinking to stay-in-the-game thinking.
1. Think Like You’re Sticking With It
Most discouragement starts in our thinking. We decide whether something is “working” based only on what we can see right now.
Faith seasons often look like bamboo—nothing visible for a while. No montage. No background music swelling.
Instead of asking, “Why isn’t this moving faster?” try asking:
“Who is Father growing me into while I’m waiting?”
That question changes everything. It keeps us from uprooting something God is still establishing. And it reminds us that formation often happens long before revelation.
Just because you don’t see fruit yet doesn’t mean God isn’t working. Roots come first.
2. Speak Like You’re Sticking With It
Our words matter more than we like to admit.
📖 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21, NASB)
We can speak death over a season:
“It’s not working.”
“I’m behind.”
“I thought I’d be further along by now.”
Or we can speak life:
“I’m learning.”
“God is working in me.”
“Father isn’t done yet.”
This isn’t about pretending everything is amazing or slapping a smile on it and calling it faith. It’s about refusing to talk ourselves out of obedience.
Your brain listens to your mouth. Your words are either watering the roots or drying them out. Choose wisely.
3. Act Like You’re Sticking With It
This is where courage looks surprisingly ordinary.
Staying in the game usually isn’t dramatic. It’s doing the next small, faithful thing already in your hands. It’s stewarding what God has entrusted to you today.
No big dopamine hit. No standing ovation. Just steady obedience. The kind that looks boring from the outside and powerful in hindsight.
Jesus doesn’t measure faithfulness by speed. Thank God. He measures stewardship.
When things feel slower than you hoped, you’re probably not behind. You might just still be growing roots.
And that time is not wasted.
This Is Preparation Time
Waiting stretches us. Silence messes with us. The middle is awkward. This is the part of the movie where you’re tempted to fast-forward, except life doesn’t have that option.
Yet the bravest thing we can do isn’t pivot, quit, or start over. It’s to stay.
Staying doesn’t deny the struggle. It just refuses to let the timeline decide whether we keep going.
God isn’t rushed. He isn’t anxious about the calendar. He’s writing a love story, and some chapters only make sense later.
You’re not behind in the story He’s telling with your life. You’re still in it.
🛠️ Courageous Action
Here’s how to live this out this week:
Name it.
Identify one area where you’re tempted to quit too soon. Where are you assuming nothing is happening just because you can’t see results yet?Water the roots.
Ask Father what faithfulness looks like right now. Is it showing up consistently? Speaking life? Praying instead of chasing a new strategy? Staying present instead of emotionally checking out?Commit to stay.
Start with seven days. Then recommit for the next seven. If needed, take it one day at a time.
Courageous women don’t abandon the process just because it feels slow. We stay. We steward. And we trust Father with the fruit.
Because God grows fruit in people—but only in those willing to stay long enough to see it.
You’ve got this, my friend.
And Father has you. 🌱
Show Notes
🗓 Summary
I know how discouraging it can feel when you’ve been faithful, showing up, doing the work—and the fruit still feels slow. In this episode, I’m talking about why the real battle isn’t starting…it’s staying. If you’ve been wondering whether all your obedience is actually working, this is your reminder that God grows fruit in those who stay long enough to see it. You’re not behind. You might just be growing roots.
✨ Who This Is For
This episode is for faith-driven women entrepreneurs who:
Feel tempted to quit because results are taking longer than expected
Wonder if their obedience is actually making a difference
Are tired of second-guessing themselves in slow or quiet seasons
🔎 What You’ll Learn
How to shift from short-game thinking to stay-in-the-game thinking
Why God often grows roots before He reveals fruit
How to stay steady when progress feels invisible
What faithfulness actually looks like when it isn’t flashy or fast
How to keep showing up without forcing outcomes
💬 Sound Bites
“God grows fruit in people who stay long enough to see it.”
“The bravest thing isn’t starting—it’s staying.”
“Roots grow before shoots.”
“Silence doesn’t mean God isn’t working.”
🛠️ Courageous Action
Identify one area where you’re tempted to quit too soon.
Ask Father what “watering the roots” looks like right now—whether that’s consistent action, prayer, speaking life, or simply staying present.
Commit to staying with it for the next seven days. Then renew that commitment, one week at a time.
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Why staying feels harder than starting
04:20 When short-game thinking sneaks in
06:15 The parable of the talents
09:00 Bamboo, roots, and unseen growth
15:00 Shifting from quitting to staying
17:00 Courageous Practice #1: Think like you’re sticking with it
19:45 Courageous Practice #2: Speak like you’re sticking with it
22:00 Courageous Practice #3: Act like you’re sticking with it
28:15 Courageous Action
32:00 Entering the new year rooted, not rushed
🎉 Who Am I
Hey friend, I’m Heather—your Courageous Coach. I help Christian women entrepreneurs go from feeling stuck, not-enough, and fearful to taking focused, confident, and courageous action. Together, we grow ourselves so we can grow our businesses and live out the God-given dreams in our hearts. I also help coaches, speakers, and authors turn ideas into systems and books that create impact and income.
💡 Let’s Stay Connected
📖 Hello Courageous Book: https://hellocourageous.com
🛒 *Get on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4oSc855
🆓 Beat Procrastination Cheat Sheet: https://hellocourageous.com/beatit
🆓 Overcome Fear by Friday Challenge: https://hellocourageous.com/fearchallenge
🌐 Website: https://heatherbunch.com
📧 Email: hello@heatherbunch.com
📸 Instagram: @heatherlbunch
*Affiliate link: if you purchase using this link, I’ll make a small commission.