Farming is hard work...period! And
sometimes one doesn’t see as much result as one wishes, despite
pouring hours of labor into an agriculture project. But what
rejoicing when the harvest is visible and abundant. That’s the case
this year with my brother’s strawberry fields. His “Dad Bonney’s
U-Pick” has seen many eager (and seemingly satisfied) customers
over the past three weeks. Before my father entered eternity, he
expressed great joy to see one of his sons take steps toward using
the family farm land for blessing others in the production of food;
it has also brought delight to the
rest of the family.
I’ve had the privilege of manning “the
shack”--looking after payments, answering questions, sometimes
providing a hat or bottle of water to sweating
pickers, helping pick berries to fill outside orders, and when
needed, showing new arrivals where to pick. Since
many of the pickers are known to me/my family, there has also been
plenty of chatting in the shade/coolness of “the shack.”
During the occasional lulls, I’ve enjoyed the
setting/scene/quietness to spend
time with God in His Word;
He has personally challenged me as I’ve pondered the similarities
and differences of spiritual fruit/harvest.
Yesterday, as the berry season was
winding down for
this season, I had a beautiful
opportunity to listen to a frequent customer and eventually share
Christ! Another family expressed interest in the copies of “God’s
Offer” tract that were lying
on the counter...and took three copies home with them. God is
encouraging
me that,
although cultures differ, people
need the Lord just as they do across the oceans. Praise
God that, unlike physical farming, God’s Word will always bear
fruit according to His good pleasure—Isaiah
55:5. “So shall My word be that
goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it
shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for
which I sent it.”
Let’s all be willing to work hard in God’s spiritual fields while
remaining
alert to opportunities to share His Word, the Truth, with assurance
that there will be an abundant harvest in God’s time.
