My brother-in-law is a farmer in the Armavir region of Armenia. His apricot and plum orchards stretch down from the ancient village of Yervandashat, on the Armenian-Turkish border, under the sobering gaze of Mount Ararat.

It was quite an experience to walk through the orchards and taste the sun-kissed fruits—some ripe, some still sour. I could never have imagined the arduous work required every single day to grow healthy fruits. Despite all the labor, some fruits that are weaker or diseased, alas, fall off the trees and dry out.

Every fruit that falls is a loss for the farmer; every loss carries a measure of grief. But farmers know that loss is inevitable—some fruits are doomed to die, whether due to natural causes or external afflictions.

Similarly, in life, not every hard work yields good fruit. Some fruits may taste sour if picked too soon. Others may rot or be eaten by worms. Some may not withstand natural or external conditions and be entirely lost.

The hard lesson we must learn is, first, to acknowledge that loss is inevitable. Second, we must recognize the importance of timing—the time to plow, fertilize, prune, and harvest—so that we may one day enjoy the anticipated sweetness of our fruit.

As King Solomon said, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens… a time to plant and a time to uproot.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1–2)

May we learn to labor faithfully, grieve humbly, and wait patiently for the sweetness of God’s timing.