The tree that grows fast falls easily. (Bill Burk, late cross-cultural teacher)

Many of us are pretty impatient people. When we do our landscaping, we are tempted to plant trees that will grow fast, bloom early, and give us a quick return for our expense and effort. The trees that stand strong in the fiercest of winds and storms, however, are those that dig their roots deep and grow slowly. Impatience often spells disaster.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. (Psalm 1:3)