North Crestview Campus eLetter
Your harvest of joy is coming.
This time of year is my favorite. It’s harvest time! Now, I am by no means a farmer, but in my wooded neighborhood with my four dogs, eleven chickens, and raised garden beds I like to pretend that I am. There is something magical about being close to your food. I get to experience a little of that every day with the chickens. Gathering eggs is one chore that I don’t have to fuss with anyone in the house to do. My daughter and I usually race to see who can get there first. I would imagine this time of year on an actual farm is that feeling times ten. As loads of corn, hay, wheat, and peanuts are gathered from the fields and put into barns… or the apples are picked from the trees and carted off to farmer’s markets… the sense of pride, security, accomplishment, and blessings must be overwhelming.
Have you ever thought about how the act of harvesting crops is one of protection? Farmers bring them in in preparation for the winter’s cold and storms. It is an act of sheltering, a keeping after the growing season is done. In the Old Testament, the harvest was observed by the Feast of Succoth or the Feast of Booths. This was a reminder of God’s goodness and provision in the lives of His people.
The time of harvest is certainly one of celebration… but it may not be for everyone. There are those who dealt with drought, hard soil, and pests (I wonder if they had to deal with deer and rabbits like we do, but I digress). They may not see a harvest as bountiful as their neighbor’s this season.
If you find yourself looking at the harvest of others and wondering why you are living through a famine, I pray Pslam 126:4-6 over you, “And now God, do it again – bring rains to our drought-stricken lives. So those who planted their crops in despair will shout “Yes!” at the harvest, So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.”
This may not be your season of harvest, but one thing I have learned is that God’s timing is perfect. You see, different crops have different rates of growth and different harvest seasons. Maybe the crop you are tending and fighting for was planted in the wrong season or is not yet ready for sheltering. My encouragement to you today is to keep sowing seeds… keep plowing… because what is planted according to God’s commandments will be fed and watered by God’s faithfulness and harvested in God’s timing. Your harvest of joy is coming.
As we are gearing up for a day of Thanksgiving, I ask that we each take a minute today or tomorrow to reflect on all that God has provided us to be thankful for. What soil has been rich in your lives this year to produce crops worth gathering and protecting? What blessings can you tuck away in the barns of your heart that will sustain you through the seasons to come? Which ones do you need to protect from the cold and storms ahead? Where has God shown His faithfulness and love in your trials and tribulations? Where has he blessed you beyond measure? And if this is not your season of harvest, there are many tables with open seats. Find a source of strength that will provide endurance until it is time for your harvest of joy.
Blessings,
Casi Krog, Kids Minister
ckrog@crosspoint.church
