Lord, restore our fortunes again like springs in the desert. Those who cry as they plant crops will sing at harvest time. Those who cry as they carry out the seeds will return singing and carrying bundles of grain. (Verses 4-6)
Do not be fooled: You cannot cheat God. People harvest only what they plant. If they plant to satisfy their sinful selves, their sinful selves will bring them ruin. But if they plant to please the Spirit, they will receive eternal life from the Spirit. We must not get tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time if we do not give up. Galatians 6
What does it take to begin again when everything dries up? When it feels like we are back to the beginning? Square one? Like a farmer whose crops failed because of drought. All his hard work lying seared on acres of parched land. The hopefulness that came with throwing the seeds into row after row of mulched dirt now turned into mourning for the lost revenue of his labor. But he is a farmer. What is there to do but begin again? Again plant seeds in the same old ground, crying as he goes. What if this crop fails, too? Where will I be? What will we do? The painful drudgery of sowing, sweating in the hot sun, hoping for rain in its season.
Ever plant for a season only to have the crop turn brown around the edges? I've just been through that season. But many of us have planted seeds into our kids, our jobs, our community or even our churches only to have them look like they were planted in the desert. Everything came up dried out and worthless. It's hard to then begin to plant anything again. To not think, I must not be a farmer after all. But we get up out of bed, throw off the lies of the enemy and the hard facts of the crop, pull on our overalls and pick up a new bag of seeds. In spite of the ache in our hearts and the lack of desire, it's time to get to work on next year's seedlings. If we look at the failed crop, concentrate on what didn't happen to all we planted and worked so hard for, we won't have the energy to plow the fields again. To work up a sweat in the hope we will reap--that God will bring streams in the desert. The planter can't know what will happen to the crop. All she can do is plant good seed. That's why we sometimes cry when we plant. All the what ifs? badger us as we cultivate the faith to sow anyway. Planting is a faith thing.
Reaping on the other hand is the prize. Enjoying the sun on our faces as we move down row after row of ripened fruit, plunking the harvest into basket after basket. Forgetful of all the work of hoeing and hoping, we plop ripe fruit into our mouths and savor the sweetness of the harvest. Enjoy all the seeds that fell on good ground and responded to the sunshine and rain God provided for this season. Thankful we didn't give up in the process because reaping is hilarious joy! It's what made us replant. Not give up. This joy of holding the fruit of our labors in our hands.
Life isn't all harvest. It isn't all sowing, either. We must recognize it as a seasonal process. We don't have anything to reap if we haven't planted anything. And, of course, it's important what we plant. Bad seeds. Bad fruit. Good seeds. Good fruit. But good crops can go bad without enough water and sunshine. It is God Who causes the growth. We depend upon Him just as the farmer does. So if the season is dry and your fruit lies curled up in the heat of adversity, don't give up. Sow. Sow. Sow. For you will reap in due season if you don't faint. And it will be worth the tears with which you water the crops when you bring home a bundles of fruit you can barely carry!
Do not be fooled: You cannot cheat God. People harvest only what they plant. If they plant to satisfy their sinful selves, their sinful selves will bring them ruin. But if they plant to please the Spirit, they will receive eternal life from the Spirit. We must not get tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time if we do not give up. Galatians 6
What does it take to begin again when everything dries up? When it feels like we are back to the beginning? Square one? Like a farmer whose crops failed because of drought. All his hard work lying seared on acres of parched land. The hopefulness that came with throwing the seeds into row after row of mulched dirt now turned into mourning for the lost revenue of his labor. But he is a farmer. What is there to do but begin again? Again plant seeds in the same old ground, crying as he goes. What if this crop fails, too? Where will I be? What will we do? The painful drudgery of sowing, sweating in the hot sun, hoping for rain in its season.
Ever plant for a season only to have the crop turn brown around the edges? I've just been through that season. But many of us have planted seeds into our kids, our jobs, our community or even our churches only to have them look like they were planted in the desert. Everything came up dried out and worthless. It's hard to then begin to plant anything again. To not think, I must not be a farmer after all. But we get up out of bed, throw off the lies of the enemy and the hard facts of the crop, pull on our overalls and pick up a new bag of seeds. In spite of the ache in our hearts and the lack of desire, it's time to get to work on next year's seedlings. If we look at the failed crop, concentrate on what didn't happen to all we planted and worked so hard for, we won't have the energy to plow the fields again. To work up a sweat in the hope we will reap--that God will bring streams in the desert. The planter can't know what will happen to the crop. All she can do is plant good seed. That's why we sometimes cry when we plant. All the what ifs? badger us as we cultivate the faith to sow anyway. Planting is a faith thing.
Reaping on the other hand is the prize. Enjoying the sun on our faces as we move down row after row of ripened fruit, plunking the harvest into basket after basket. Forgetful of all the work of hoeing and hoping, we plop ripe fruit into our mouths and savor the sweetness of the harvest. Enjoy all the seeds that fell on good ground and responded to the sunshine and rain God provided for this season. Thankful we didn't give up in the process because reaping is hilarious joy! It's what made us replant. Not give up. This joy of holding the fruit of our labors in our hands.
Life isn't all harvest. It isn't all sowing, either. We must recognize it as a seasonal process. We don't have anything to reap if we haven't planted anything. And, of course, it's important what we plant. Bad seeds. Bad fruit. Good seeds. Good fruit. But good crops can go bad without enough water and sunshine. It is God Who causes the growth. We depend upon Him just as the farmer does. So if the season is dry and your fruit lies curled up in the heat of adversity, don't give up. Sow. Sow. Sow. For you will reap in due season if you don't faint. And it will be worth the tears with which you water the crops when you bring home a bundles of fruit you can barely carry!
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