Storms and Harvest

   Problems are inevitable and they love to come along when you are least expecting them and many times the most unprepared for them! Have you ever examined your problem solving techniques? What is our “normal” response? Sometimes it is easier to take things in stride than others. At times we may find yourself panicking or stressing out later to find it was not necessary at all. Then there are times when we don’t take the issue seriously enough. Many times we seek help or advice from a trusted friend, relative or mentor.

      These trials or situations run the spectrum from minor irritations to major life changing ones. Some we are prepared for and others knock the wind completely out of us. There are avoidable problems that in the right circumstance could be prevented and there are the ones that come in like a hurricane that no one could control, prevent, or stop.  So what do we do when these things come?  Who do we turn to for advice? Are we available to those around us who are in the midst of storms? Do we face them head on or try to run and hide from them? How do they affect our attitudes, do we get bitter in the storm and its aftermath or do we become better for having weathered the storm?  Are we a safe place for those around us to run in the midst of a storm in their life?

Where in the world did all this come from, you might ask. I have one of those minds that ponders on something and you just never know what trails it might decide to go down. My thoughts here began with our Wednesday night service. We’ve been studying about the Harvest and the Scripture in Galatians 6:7-9. Paraphrased: what we plant or sow, we will reap, do not get tired in doing good, for at just the right time we will reap a harvest, if we don’t give up.  Pastor Tony spoke of having a safe place to bring the harvest and if you’re not reaping the things in life that you want, it might be time to change the things you’re planting. He has a wonderful way of getting to what we need to hear, telling us the truth and making the medicine we need taste sweet as honey and mixed with humor.  He reminded us that if we are not reaping the type of relationships, finances, and such that we desire then we need to examine what it is that we are doing.

After some meditations these are some of the questions I have decided that I need to ask myself:  Am I planting the seed of what I wish to reap? preparing the soil and cultivating it properly to get the desire results?  Am I keeping the weeds and pests away and nourishing the seeds and the ground in order to make the most of what I have planted? And maybe most importantly, am I waiting for the proper time to bring in the crop (waiting for it to come into maturity)? Lastly, do I have a safe place to bring in the crop when it finally yields it “fruit”, can I be trusted with the harvest?

    The answers, they may take a while. Maybe when the storms come along I’ll try asking some of these questions of myself, also. If it is a law that we reap what we sow, and it is.  Maybe if I begin to look at the problems that I could have avoided differently, then maybe I’ll sow differently and change forever what I am reaping.