Though a concept foreign to prairie dwellers, I’m planning to plant vegetables this fall for harvest in late winter or early spring. As much as I miss Saskatchewan (and I truly do!), I appreciate the ability to harvest food throughout the entire year.
This week I was made aware of how that concept applies to life as well as to a garden patch. Here’s how it happened: after reading a story in one of the rural weekly newspapers that carries these weekly articles, I decided to contact the subject of one of their stories. I did and, as it turns out, we’d met before – some twenty years ago – but under different and very difficult circumstances. I won’t say more in order to avoid identifying this person but how wonderful it was to re-connect and to speak of God’s faithfulness to both of us during those trying times. Back then something I had done brought great joy and rejoicing to this other person and deep satisfaction to my own heart. I was not to understand, however, the impact that sharing this memory would have on both of us; it was something like reaping an unexpected, but oh so abundant, harvest.
I’m sure there are others, like me, who often wonder if and what positive impact our lives have had on someone else. One of the Psalms spoke deeply to me today as I thought on that: “And now, God, do it again — bring rains to our drought-stricken lives so those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest, so those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing” (Psalm 126:5,6 The Message)
In God’s design, neither sowing nor reaping are ever off-season. Keep sowing acts of love and kindness while trusting Him for the harvest.
