#harvest
The definition of harvest; the process or period of gathering in crops. The product or result of an action. The key word here is “action”. When I think of harvest, it’s easy for me to see the result and not the hard work & production behind the result. I had the pleasure of asking a few friends and family what harvest meant to them. It has been such a blessing to me, I wanted to share with you all.

From a farmer’s wife, “It’s a time where I as a farm wife won’t see my husband for a while. His time in the field is spent. The hours are uncounted. Harvest is also depending on Mother Nature. It’s timing. It’s teamwork. It’s having a plan. It’s finding a place to store crops. The tractors and combines get new oil and possibly new tires. It’s also risky. The family likes to sit down and determine if the crop we’ve made will pay for the seed. Thankfully we have our faith in God and the love for the land”.
From a farmer, “Through my ups and downs, the highs and lows, the rain and drought, a time to finally gather up what the Lord blessed me with to put in safekeeping. Alongside my family take all the lessons learned and move eagerly into next year with the wisdom and faith gained”.
From a retired farmer & his sister, “It was the production of tobacco, cotton, corn, soybeans, and wheat. It was picking the vegetables. Then getting it all to the market. Did we make a profit or loose it? Tobacco was always the most profitable”.
From a friend that works in resource management, “A time in which fruits of one’s labor combined with forces that he or she prays for, but doesn’t control, culminates in a bounty that can either be fruitful or less than desired, but either way appreciated. A quote from Jim Rohn says you should “Get good at planting in the Spring or begging in the Fall””.
I desire the faith that is needed when planting seeds and trusting in God’s harvest. I admire their perseverance, the action steps needed through every season. I want to gain wisdom when the outcome isn’t what I had desired. I am reminded of 67th book of Psalms; “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us- so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him”.
Join me in singing for Joy and giving God the glory for both the good and bad of 2019. As we start planting seeds for 2020, may we all have the faith of a farmer.