Wednesday, March 19
Joy in the Harvest
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. – Matthew 9:37
At the end of my raised garden beds are tall trellises which support green bean plants. By the early fall last year, the bean plants were overflowing the top of the trellis, growing downward and therefore, very full and thick. I had to use a ladder to reach the top. Daily harvests were necessary. Each afternoon, I’d climb the ladder to start my search for the beans ready to pick.
When looking around the outside of the foliage, I found ripe beans and picked those first. But I knew there were many more to find since I’ve had experience harvesting fruit. For many years, I picked blueberries at a farm and was used to getting INSIDE the large blueberry bushes to find so much hidden fruit.
So that’s exactly what I did with the green beans. I got INSIDE the thick foliage – up close and personal. That was how I found ALL of the hidden beans that I wouldn’t have seen looking from the outside. One day, I thought about how it took my total attention and investment in finding the ripe beans. I literally had to get in and underneath the foliage to see them. It reminded me how our spiritual life takes attention and personal involvement to really participate in the building of God’s Kingdom.
The Bible contains many references to “harvest” with numerous metaphors and lessons to be learned from the harvest concept. The path on which my fall bean harvest thoughts took me was related to spiritual growth and health. It doesn’t usually come from sitting back, looking in from the outside and just expecting it to come to you. Of course, God’s prevenient grace is there whether we know it or not. But there’s more. 1 Corinthians 3:9 says “For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. In verse 8, it says that God gives the growth, but verse 9 says we are participants with God, working together with each other and with God. It is a call to use our gifts in building God’s Kingdom.
So when we get up close and personal, invest with our whole body, mind and spirit – that’s when we have opportunities to really grow spiritually, and importantly, be vessels for God’s use in ministering to other people.
It can get messy. When I ducked out from under the green bean foliage, I had twigs in my hair. It was a strain to put my hand through the small square in the trellis to reach for a bean on the other side. The oily underside of the leaves would stick to my clothing. I wore long sleeves so my arms wouldn’t itch. I had to make sure my ladder was steady so I wouldn’t fall. In other words, I had to be equipped for the harvest. In spiritual terms, God equips us through our community fellowship, through prayer and study, and through faith to trust in Him.
As Matthew says, the harvest is great. But it doesn’t get fully accomplished without our participation with God. God calls us and He equips us. But we must say YES to God. Get involved, be fully invested. Get inside, get messy. Find Joy in the harvest!
God, help us hear your call to the places and people where our gifts may be used for building Your Kingdom on earth. Give us courage to say yes and fully invest our mind, body and spirit in our ministry with You. Amen.
Kathy King