The Haunting of a Plentiful Harvest

Like many people I planted a garden this year. I really enjoyed sketching it out on paper and deciding where to place each plant. I cast my vision of the garden to my husband and he and my boys made it a reality. I planted 4 plots of green beans, 3 plots of cucumbers, 1 plot of cantaloupe, 4 plots of tomatoes, and 3 plots of peppers. I was so pleased to put the seeds in the ground and watch them grow.

My intention was to learn how to can the produce so when the harvest came in I would be able to process it and preserve it. Little did I know the harvest would come in at a time I would be totally unavailable to harvest it.

The cucumbers came first. How can one little plant produce so much?!! I picked as many cucumbers as I could and brought them in the house. There they laid on the counter and rotted. Each time I looked at the wilted vegetable I felt guilt. I had not given them away and I had not processed them. They were wasted. Since I knew I didn't have time to make pickles and I didn’t know how, I left the rest of the cucumbers hanging on the vine to rot. Each day I look out at the rotted produce on the vine and they remind me I wasn't there for them when they needed harvested. The image has been haunting to me.

God's word says, "the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few". Oh how true his words are. I can't help but think of all the people out there that God wants harvested. They have been planted and cultivated and are waiting for some worker to come along and harvest and process them. However, like my garden, we are too busy or don't know how. So many people are dying on the vine waiting to be harvested. Some have been harvested but are rotting on a church counter somewhere. They have accepted Christ but have not been plugged in to his body. It sickens me.

My garden has been a wake up call for me. It's time to get busy. It's time to get out in the fields and do some harvesting. It's time to let go of some of the things of this world and grab on to the things eternal.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Forgive me for not being one who goes to the field to harvest. I've not done my part. I'm good at planting and cultivating but I've fallen short in harvesting. Without the harvest the rest is just a waste of time. Forgive me. May I be one who goes out to harvest that which you have sown and cultivated.

In Jesus Name,
Jane

Matthew 9:36-38 (New International Version)
36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."