Harvest

Now many of us have come to the end of the gardening season. How does your garden look? Did you keep it watered and weeded? Many times it is easy to let weeds in, and by fall you have weed seeds flying everywhere. It takes diligence to grow a good garden all the way until harvest. It takes diligence to live your life for Jesus all year long. What is diligence? It is to keep on working, no matter how you feel, until the job is done. When the cool winds blow will you have beautiful vegetables or prickly weeds? When hard times come, when you are sad or lonely or don’t feel well, will you have the fruit of obedience and cheerfulness, or the grouchy and “my way” weeds?

Harvest time is a time to be thankful. Who gives us the fruits and vegetables and all the food we eat? We can thank the workers, like Mama, for the cooking and preparing they have done. We can thank God for making all these things grow, for giving us what we need, and for His good care. It is important to say “thank you.” It shows that you know that you can’t do things by yourself and that you need others’ help. It shows that you are glad of their help.

When God has helped us grow fruit in our lives (and to keep out the weeds!) we need to show thankfulness. If someone says “It was so nice to see your cheerful smile,” you can say “The Lord helped me,” and thank Jesus in your heart. Your garden vegetables won’t be worth much if you just let them rot in the garden—you need to pick them and use them. When God has helped you have a willing heart, use it to bless others and serve Him. Don’t keep it to yourself and let it rot and spoil!