Harvest Time!

Spring is in the air!  Can you feel it?  Longer days, shorter nights and warmer weather are just some of nature's beauty this time of year.  I decided to take in some of the great weather this weekend by taking the kids to pick strawberries.  I've only picked strawberries one time, during the 3rd trimester with my son.  Needless to say, it wasn't the greatest experience by any means. 

This time, it was completely different.  For starters, we could smell the aroma of the berries permeating into my truck as we drove along the highway.  The crops were plentiful!  Everywhere you looked there were rows and rows of strawberries. 

Never did I imagine, this experience would become a spiritual lesson.  From my understanding, the winter strawberry season begins in the summer.  The farmers prepare the soil to receive the strawberry plant that will require watering, near perfect weather conditions, and fertilizer.  Extra attention is given during the brief periods of frigid temperatures that can harm the crops. 

The highlight of  my day wasn't so much the harvesting component, but knowing that I could reap a bounty with very little effort on my part.  We didn't have to till the land, water the soil, or apply the fertilizer.  We just had to gently bend over, give a little tug, and reap a bounty of goodness.  

Seasons of generous harvest normally follow extremely difficult periods in our lives.  Listen to what is shared in Deuteronomy 6:10-12 (MSG):

~When God, your God, ushers you into the land he promised through your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you, you're going to walk into large, bustling cities you didn't build, well-furnished houses you didn't buy, come upon wells you didn't dig, vineyards and olive orchards you didn't plant. When you take it all in and settle down, pleased and content, make sure you don't forget how you got there—God brought you out of slavery in Egypt. ~

This was the promise given to the Israelites after 400 strenuous years of slavery.  Moses declared the season of harvest that was available because they were chosen and God desired to bestow blessings upon them.

Hold fast to your faith.  A season of harvest will occur in your life.  No matter what you are going through, it will come to an end, and there will be victory on the other side of the journey.  Maintain your confidence in God's ability to transform your situation.  Similar to your own life, despite varying weather conditions, the strawberry plant blossomed into a sensational creation of nature! (Posted by Renee)