I am very excited that we got our garden planted. You can see Our Little Garden Here. We had trouble growing things in the past because our soil isn’t that great for growing so we made a raised bed. We use composted dirt to fill it.
There is something about the prospects of a good harvest that makes the time and energy worth it.
What kind of harvest are you reaping?
Maybe yours is the regular garden variety. Maybe you’re going for a more lasting harvest that has eternal
perspective.
Jesus talked about a harvest on several occasions. Farming and growing crops would have been terms the people understood. Being grocery shoppers we don’t always understand the work that goes into planting and harvesting.
Growing up in the Midwest, I have always seen the endless hours farmers put in to get a get a field ready for planting and them harvesting.
In Luke 10:2, Jesus tells His disciples the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
In John 4, Christ tells the people the fields are ripe for the picking.
I am not a farmer but we can look at this as farmers, the way Jesus first described them.
Plant in rich soil.
To plant, you have to start with good soil. Jesus tells the parable about the seed falling on every kind of ground. On the rocks and among the thorns they do not grow. The seeds grow when planted in the rich soil where they can grow roots and stay firm when the wind and storms blow.
As a parent, one thing you can do for your children is creating rich soil. There you can teach them how-to-pray, study God’s Word and worship Him in the everyday. That is rich soil they can become rooted in so when storms start to blow, they can more easily stay rooted in Christ.
Water Daily
Plants need nourishment. I like plants that are not that finicky or needy. I like to trust God to water them. He does and He will but often times they die. In Luke 10 Jesus says Go! This means we have to take action.
Just as important as it is to start with good soil and plant in a firm foundation, if we are not intentional about continuing to feed our children, how can we expect them to grow.
Maybe you find yourself busy and life is speeding by and you skip all the things that help keep your kids planted. Study. Prayer. Worship. Be intentional. If you don’t, the enemy will find someone who will.
Harvest
Waiting to harvest may be the hardest part. You are anxious for the final result and sometimes now isn’t soon enough. Good news for you. If you are waiting to work in Jesus’ fields, He says they are ready to be picked.
Maybe you are ready but not willing. Maybe you have a list of reasons why you can’t get your hands dirty in the fields.
The harvest is ready means there are plenty of opportunities and options for you to show up to work. Maybe your field is no longer you homefront.
Maybe something like fear, resources, knowledge, confidence in who you are and what you believe is keeping you from moving g forward. I know personally these have been my stumbling blocks.
In Hebrews and Timothy, Paul encouraging words tell us God will equip you for every good work.
We don’t have to come to the field with all the best. God will supply and equip us when we get there. He has the resources. We have to be willing to get to the field.
Personal Reflectons:
What is keeping out of the field? Are you willing to lay that down before God and trust Him for the provision?
How do you use your home for a mission field? Are you planting for harvest time?
Do you plant a garden? What is your favorite thing to grow?
While you’re here, sit down with some of my friends.
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This week’s featured friend is Heather Bixler from heatherbixler.com. Heather is an author of several devotionals and mini Bible studies, which can find on her resource page. Heather encourages women to find their real purpose in God. Thanks for joining us, Heather, I am glad you are here.
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Thank you for hosting! I enjoyed reading your post today. We just plant tomatoes and a couple of pumpkins for the kids. I can't physically take the heat to take care of the plants and we live in Memphis… so that is all I can do!
I'm really looking forward to getting that garden planted this spring! And it's warming up, so it won't be long now. And today, your words challenge me to be in perpetual planting season, knowing that the seed is the Word, and it will not fail in accomplishing God's purposes for it.
Jaimie, I really loved this quote from your post today: "We don't 've to come to the field with all the best God will supply and equip us when we get there.” That is so true, but so hard to understand at the beginning! Feeling inadequate and ill equipped keeps us from stepping out into the harvest. But God will give us what we need to accomplish the purposes He has called us to! I really enjoyed your article this week (as always!) and I appreciate you hosting the link-up! Blessings!
Hi, your thoughts here match many in my current blog series, "Meeting God in the Garden." I hope you'll visit for more garden-related posts. Love your brightly-colored opening photo today!
This reminds me of another blogger's post about the book, Put Your Warrior Boots On, Jaime. We truly need to get out into the field–getting dirty because of the hard work involved, but doing so for Christ. So many need to know Him–including our children! Love that emphasis here as well. Thanks so much for your wisdom and your heart for Christ.
Raised bed gardening – the only way to go! I wrote a book about it!!!
Ugh…the garden and I aren't on speaking terms this year. I just don't have a green thumb and the weeds like to grow faster than I can handle.
Sounds like a lot of excuses, doesn't it? I hope I'm doing a better job in the Lord's harvest.
Very nice that you got your garden together.
I think that we need to plant the seeds of kindness in our kids.
Very nice words. Thanks for hosting and have a wonderful rest of the week.
Wonderful reflections, Jaime! I once did a study by Nancy Leigh Demoss called Seeking Him that focused on the planting and harvesting verses. Such good stuff! Have a blessed weekend!
I always appreciate all the gardening comparisons to planting God's Word in our hearts and keeping it watered and weeded. I am a gardener, though not a great one. The weeding and the watering just don't wait for a convenient time and neither does maintaining our spiritual life! Have a great week-end, Jaime!