Waiting for A Harvest

It’s that time of the year again when gardens are tilled and seeds or plants are planted, watered, and then we wait…and wait… and wait…

If you think about, it’s amazing how long it takes for the seeds to germinate; and then how long it takes from germination until we see flowers. Then how long it takes until the crops come up and we can eat the produce…

It’s several months until we see anything for all our labor; if we see anything at all, because there are many conditions beyond our control such as weather and the quality of the plants and seeds.

This is true for all crops including flowers, trees, and vegetables.

Another huge factor is the condition of the soil; is it clay, sandy, or black? Each serves a different purpose depending upon what type of crop is planted.

But it should noted that the condition of the soil didn’t come that way by chance. This soil was prepared by the gardener ahead of time in anticipation of what was to come.

In fact, it takes a tremendous amount of work to turn untamed land to good soil: Rocks must be removed (again and again), thorns pulled up, and hard places roto-tilled to loosen up the soil, because even the best soil must be broken before it can become beautiful.

And then, as I said, we wait…this is how things grow.

So, is it worth it???? Is it worth all the arduous work just to even prepare the soil to receive the seed or plant? And why must we wait; why can’t things happen faster?

If you’ve done gardening for any length of time you know that the answer is “yes”, that it is worth all of the hard work that goes into preparing soil and planting for the future harvest.

Being able to pick rich and fresh produce from soil less than one hundred yards from the kitchen door is so very much worth all of the effort and the waiting period!

And before you know it, it’s State Fair Time! Time for ribbons and trophies!

But what about areas of our lives where have been waiting for a harvest?

We are not naturally good soil for God to plant into us His Word

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)

 

Too many Christians are content with remaining un-tilled soil. We delude ourselves by thinking that the condition of the soil doesn’t matter.

We don’t want God to point out where we need to be changed. We prefer to remain rocky and weedy. We prefer to try to grow things despite the resistance in our lives

None of us are beyond God’s ability to change us. But His change takes time: - It doesn’t happen in a single day. Even so, He can change us from a desert land to a fruitful garden

My friend Rev Bob Tolliver wrote:

“Trees do not grow year-round. In the Spring, life begins to flow and leaves begin to appear During the Summer a new layer of fiber slowly begins to form under the bark.

In the Fall, the new wood has created a new "circle" from the most recent growth and begins to mature. Interestingly, it is during the most desolate and severe season that the hardening and maturing takes place ---- the winter.

During those times, it appears that life is gone and the tree is dead, but the life as simply retreated to the roots leaving the outward appearance of death.

All of that to say that perhaps the most important seasons of our walk with the Lord are during those times when we feel we have spiritually "flat-lined" and have lost any ground gained.

Just the opposite is true. It's through those "dark nights of the soul" when we can become the most mature ---- if we don't fight it.”

Soil that was called “good ground” didn’t come that way by chance. This soil was prepared by the GARDENER ahead of time. But it was not the soil that did the work

To be good soil that receives God’s Word: I must be open, receptive to God and His Word. There can’t be resistance or reluctance on my part to having stones removed. I must welcome it daily. I must allow it to change my thoughts, attitudes, prejudices.

Secondly, every area of my life needs to be reachable/available. ALL the ground in a garden is tilled for fruitfulness. ALL areas of my life need to be tilled by the Holy Spirit. This takes time, but it must be done. Again, He is the One who will do the work; we cooperate.

The key ingredient to good soil being productive is how much God is really in control of our lives, and how obedient and responsive we are to His Word.

The Holy Spirit has come to help us bear fruit to be productive, appointed to bear fruits that honor the Father. And there will be a bountiful harvest of divine fruit because my Heavenly Father has been working with great skill in His Garden and I chose to respond to His work in humility and with my heart.

Our Heavenly Father has a Garden that He has been working on; a garden that He is proud of, filled with blue-ribbon produce. A Garden that He longs to share with the world. It’s the lives of you and I!

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." (Galatians 6:9 NKJV)

Missing My Daily Walks…

Today I miss taking walks with my children.

 

There is a coffee mug on my desk that was given to me by one of my daughters. On the mug there is a picture of her and myself taking a walk together, and looking at it has caused me to long for days of old. 

 

When my children were young, each day I would take a walk with a different one. Because I have six children, we had a chart to schedule each of them in rotation. It was a good opportunity to talk and listen and ponder.

 

Each child used their time with me alone differently than the other children. Each was unique and special and I enjoyed them and looked forward to them.

 

Some would be quiet as we held hands and spent time in each other’s company. Some would hit the sidewalk and not stop talking until we reached home (not sure who they got that from); using the time to tell me all their thoughts and something from the latest book they were reading.

 

Others would use the time to ask questions or plead their case for a new toy, to participate in an activity, or to go somewhere. 

 

As I write this blog, pondering conversations that took place on our walks, I feel somewhat melancholy wondering if they, too, miss taking them with their dad.

 

I am grateful that as a grandpa I have opportunities to take walks with each of my grandchildren, but had I known that one day my walks with my children would come to an end, I probably would have savored them or taken a long route to squeeze in more time with each of my children. 

 

And just as I have had other opportunities to take walks with my children at the cabin or on vacation or to a park with their children, it is still not the same as my daily scheduled walks with each of them individually.

 

And I think of what God…Abba Father…must have felt when His daily walks with His children, Adam and Eve, came to an end. In Genesis 2:19, we can read how God would take walks and bring things He had made to Adam:
 

“Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.

 

In Genesis chapter three, we can read about the day when His daily walks with Adam and Eve came to an end. It is my submission that in the story God was (perhaps) bringing something to them to see what they would call it.

 

And, because they did what He had said not to do, they took their final walk in the garden. Actually they were led OUT of the garden; no longer being able to walk with Him in the Garden of Eden.

 

That’s the bad news. 

 

The good news is that just like I am able to call my children and set aside time to take a walk with anyone of them individually, because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, we too are able to daily walk with God…Abba Father. We too are able to daily come to Him and spend time with Him and once again connect with Him.

 

Because of what Jesus accomplished by His death, burial, and resurrection, we too can have fellowship with Him on a daily basis.

 

And just like I have days like this when I think fondly of those previous times that I had spent with my own children and long for more; God…Abba Father longs for us to once again take a walk with Him.

 

Not sure where to start? Well, it’s not a formula; you simply need to ask or call out to Him.

 

In fact He is simply waiting for you to ask Him to go on walk and He has some things that He would love to show you to see what you think about them. He says in the Bible:

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

 

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