The Right Season

Written by Joy Ware Miller | Development Director

I love the fall. There’s something about the colors and the scent of harvest time that stirs my heart. But behind every harvest is a lot of hard work. It takes the right equipment, careful timing, and real sacrifice to bring the crops in from the field at just the right moment, not too early and not too late.

At the start of every season, our farmers have to break up hard ground and plant long before they can see anything grow. Then, through late spring, summer, and into early fall, they watch and wait as the corn, soybeans, and wheat mature. When harvest finally comes, it can almost seem like the fields were ready overnight.

But ask any farmer, and they’ll tell you that planting and harvesting are anything but overnight.

That’s a lot like the way God plants His Word in our hearts. Some hearts are harder soil than others, and He knows exactly what He’s working with. When our hearts are hard, it may take a little extra time before they’re soft enough to receive what He’s planting. There’s some spiritual digging to do, like turning over our need for control and breaking up rebellious ground. A bad attitude, unforgiveness, pride, or a view of the world shaped more by culture than by Christ can all slow the harvest. I’m so glad God is up to the task!

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:6–7 (NIV)

Wherever you are in the process, and however much preparation your heart may need, God is the Ultimate Farmer and the Master Gardener. We are safe in His hands. He is in control!

May every season be one where we let God soften our hearts, grow our faith, and bring His Word to harvest in us at just the right time, not too early and not too late.