It’s maple syrup season in Minnesota. When the temperatures are below freezing at night and above freezing during the day, the sap runs. It takes several gallons of sap to boil down into the delicious golden syrup.

This year my husband decided to try his hand at making maple syrup. The next thing I know packages of tubing and other gadgets are arriving at our door. As he was researching the process, he discovered that other trees could also be tapped for syrup. One of those trees is called a “boxelder tree.” I quickly told him I was not going to eat anything that comes from a tree that is a common shelter to the disgusting boxelder bug. So he does some digging and says the tree is also known as the Manitoba maple.

The next thing I see is he is tapping the Manitoba maples in our yard to add to our maple syrup season. Several gallons later, he cooks it down into the syrup. The maple syrup is a buttery golden deliciousness. The Manitoba maple is sour and nasty.

He had no more than decided to pull the taps from boxelder trees when he discovered that there was sediment that had settled in the jar that made it through the filter. He tried it again and decided it was tolerable. He retapped the trees and plans to use it in coffee.

I wouldn’t try it again. Why would you want tolerable when you can have golden buttery deliciousness? This had me reflecting on how often I settle for good enough. I get part way to a goal and decide that is close enough. I get tired. I lose patience. I run out of steam. In a sense, I give up.

As for you, I’ll come with healing,
    curing the incurable,
Because they all gave up on you
    and dismissed you as hopeless (Jeremiah 30:17 MSG).

God promises us so much more than I expect. I decide to accept the tolerable rather than hold on for butter golden deliciousness. I need to hold out for maple syrup season, nothing but the best.

Do you settle for tolerable? Are you willing to hold on for the fullness of God’s promises? Share your story here and breathe life and bring hope to others.