harvest

our farmer neighbors are bringing in the corn harvest. we have had a summer with an abundance of rain and the corn grew well. it is now dried out and ready for the harvest.

sun rising on a harvest day

*
we are surrounded by fields and they mark off the seasons in such a profound way. watching the seasons pass on those farm fields is one of the things i love about living in the country. through out the winter the fields will be desolate and barren, with cold snowy winds making drifts across the open space. spring will bring a flurry of activity with plowing and planting. and then summertime we wait and watch the black tilled dirt sprout green, first just a tinge of color, and then seemingly overnight, the fields are overtaken with growth. now it is fall and the cold nights have brought the growth to a halt. the plants have done their job and their fruit is ready to be brought in. each season follows the other in perfect order.
*
and so do our lives have seasons. seasons of cold and loneliness, of new hope and budding faith, of growth and flourishing activity, and of fruitfulness. which season am i in? what lessons or work does God have for me in this particular season of my life? i pray that i would be sensitive to those seasons

"For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will complete." Deuteronomy 16:15b

ancient fence line of petrified posts and rusty barbed wire,
marks off country borders



"A man reaps what he sows.
The one who sows to please his sinful nature,
from that nature will reap destruction;
the one who sows to please the Spirit,
from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap

a harvest if we do not give up.
Therefore, as we have opportunity,

let us do good to all people,
especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
Galatians 6:7b-10

everyday gift: the season of harvest