Farmer’s markets. Fresh produce. Farmer’s bounty. It is that time of year. Isn’t it delightful!?! I have to brutally honest and say that I have never grown anything. At least, not anything I intended to eat. Never even a tomato plant…because, well, who would grow a tomato?? That said (and tomato opinions aside), I so appreciate those who work hard to plant, grow and harvest all of summer’s bounty from the earth! I know it is work. A lot of sweat and very unappreciated. To all the farmers – thank you!
I am also familiar with many of the planting illustrations – and lessons aplenty to be learned from them – in the Bible. The sowing and the reaping. Maybe it is on my mind because it is a time for reaping….who knows? But it is a truth, proven over and over again, that we reap what we sow.
Galatians 6:7-9 ” Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Not only are these verses encouraging (I love the encouragement to faint not. Don’t get weary. Don’t quit…because there will be times when we feel like quitting but God’s promises are true and we can continue doing good. Doing what is right. And He gives the reward) but they also are a strong reminder….even a warning. One we obviously would do well to learn, remember and heed. No doubt, most of you know this.
But here is an interesting thought, or reminder, for today. Not only do we reap what we sow; we also get to choose what we will sow. The choice is ours! We pick the seeds we want to plant! It is much easier to resist becoming weary when we are making the choices. Weariness can quickly turn to self-defeat, apathy, and eventually resignation. Remembering the influence we have on what we harvest not only helps us but also empowers us to continue.
What type of seeds can you choose to plant?
Seeds of forgiveness – rather than seeds of bitterness
Seeds of faith – rather than doubt
Seeds of hope and trust – rather than lies and deception
Seeds of worship and praise – rather than worldly passion
Seeds of love, humility and service – rather than self-exaltation
Plant so as to enjoy the harvest. To anticipate the reward for effort and good choices. Plant in order to share the harvest! Oh, the applications are unending. I pray you will be encouraged today! Here’s to a summer full of rich and bountiful harvest – on our plates and in our lives:)
High five…who in their right mind would plant a tomato?? Well, I guess I do like ketchup and tomato sauce and salsa. So I might…but could never sit down and eat a tomato all by its lonesome.
Great post. Those verses of Scripture are among my favorites. I truly believe we reap what we sow. And likewise, this verse speaks to me.
Matthew 6:21
King James Version
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Ah, someone who understands that tomatoes are for creating other yummy things to eat. Never meant to be eaten, as is! Thanks for sharing another great verse and reminder! Happy Tuesday, friend!
What a thoughtful post – if we don’t plant the right seed we shouldn’t be surprised if the end result isn’t what we were hoping for.
On a literal gardening front, we do grow some of our own fruit and there is nothing like going into the garden and picking a fresh bowl of raspberries or strawberries to have for dessert straight from the plant! We do have two tomato plants, but I don’t think they are likely to be keeping us in enough tomatoes to get through the summer! But the grandchildren are enjoying watching them grow and if they can keep their fingers off them long enough, hopefully they will soon have a home grown tomato to pick to have with their dinner.
I have a dream of a small cottage-style home with just a few berry bushes in the back garden – blueberries, raspberries, blackberries. I love them all. Of course, the older I get, growing and harvesting something I can actually eat seems like a very new trick for this old dog to learn:)