Harvest Time Up Ahead -- Keep Doing Good!

This blog inspiration is brought to us today by our good friend and mentor, St. Paul. His words are filled with hope for those of us who have been on the "do-good" tractor -- planting and planting, and we've been wondering if it has been worth it. Oh, but then comes Paul's firey voice cheering us on: "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)

It has been a tough row to hoe (speaking in planting and reaping terms) the last few years. Maybe you've gritted your teeth to stay kind and to bear it all. Or, you shut your eyes and put ear plugs in to deafen the harshness of the loud voices of the enemy. You may read these words and relate them to stuff going on in your family, or you may relate them to what's outside. Stones have been cast and angry voices raised. Hit and run proclamations. But we are still standing, somewhat stunned, but we're still here. We must not be done. It’s in times like these that retreat sounds so safe. Let’s go home, lock the doors, bar the windows and disconnect the doorbell. Gather up our stockpiled faith and ration out just enough to survive. It seems tempting to safeguard our hearts by taking them right out and sticking them in a steel encased safe. Then forget the combination.

But, then, our tried, tested and proven faith warrior friend, St. Paul -- who suffered great physical pain, was imprisoned, shipwrecked, mocked and beaten for his faith -- speaks again as a challenge and invitation: “Let us not grow weary of doing good." These words bring tears to my eyes, a lump to my throat. It's in this deeper, invisible place that sees the best in people, that reaches out in love, that keeps believing folks can change. This sort of hope has taken a beating lately. And as I type this blog, I talk to God about it and He replies "I understand."

I realize, He does. More than I can know, more than any of us comprehend. He knows what it is to love and love. To extend yourself so far that you are....oh, stretched out on a cross. Then we hear the words of St. Paul again: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2) Fixing our eyes on Jesus changes everything. Consider the perfect Man who endured such opposition from sinful men. Perhaps we are so disillusioned these days because we have been looking at each other. And we, mere humans, always fall short. We disappoint. We cave. But not Jesus.

So, we suit up and we keep doing good -- like Jesus. He is the reason we can stay in the race. Take the next step. Keep going. Keep believing. Most of all, keep loving. Not locked away, but the safest place for our hearts is entrusting them to the One who for the joy set before Him endured the cross. The One who does not grow weary. The One who, in the middle of all the noise and chaos and even danger, will never allow our hearts to be lost. So what do we do? We keep doing good -- harvest time is up ahead. I'm getting the biggest John Deere tractor I can find -- I'll need it because I'm not quitting. I'm going to love even more and expecting to reap a mammoth harvest! Care to borrow my tractor?

This is What Seed-Time and Harvest Looks Like

These lovely ladies sat beside me at a wonderful luncheon fundraiser for women’s ministry outreaches yesterday. As we visited, Ann, on the left, told me she and her husband were part of the first twelve people who started meeting to worship God together twenty-two years ago in just a small building in downtown Frisco. They had the hearts for a Catholic Church to be built in Frisco, TX – since the closest ones were in McKinney, Plano or Denton – all at least 30 miles away. Various priests would join them to celebrate the mass for them.

After many long years of planning and two years of construction, the existing church and chapel were completed in December. 2013. The hall we met in yesterday was the first structure built. I saw Ann gazing, almost overwhelmed, at how many women were at the luncheon. The church has over 39,000 members now. From 12 to 39,000 in 22 years. Talk about "seedtime and harvest"! Twenty-two years of planting, praying, serving and giving certainly produced a bumper crop. I said to Ann and Donna, her daughter, “Just look at what you did. You planted many seeds and today you are witnessing the harvest. I was reminded of the scripture: “Be not weary in doing good for in due season you will reap if you don't give up!” Galatians 6:9

I share this sweet exchange of a "sower" who recognizes the harvest she was a part of – the many who have given their lives to Christ, those who have been baptized, married, and raising their own children – planting into them the rewards of sowing and reaping. We plant. God gives the increase. If we don’t dig up our seeds by words we speak or actions we take and if we trust God for the increase, eventually what we planted will yield a fruitful harvest. Waiting is the toughest part of the sowing process, isn’t it? We sow our seed…then…silence. If we sow our seed in faith, we expect it to grow, and we’ll keep expecting— no matter how long it takes. In the meantime, it is important that our words match our faith. We might as well say: “I am expecting a record-breaking harvest.” That's what Ann has seen.

Maybe you’re waiting for a financial harvest, a breakthrough in a relationship, or healing and restoration in your body or emotions or your church or business to grow. Whatever it is, if your harvest is taking longer than you’ve anticipated, God’s Word and His promises are true. So, hold on! God remembers every seed you’ve ever sown. So, don’t give up on your seed just before the finish line. Harvest is coming!

I encourage you to consider the seeds you plant each day into those you influence -- your children and maybe you don’t have children, but you have friends, loved ones, and neighbors that you could be planting seeds of faith, hope, confidence, and encouragement into them. Not only does your influence represent seed time into their lives -- but just maybe, you’ll get to be there when their harvest comes in AND when you watch them plant seeds into others, too. Yesterday, I was able to celebrate “harvest” with dear Ann. She’s a very proud and happy sower AND reaper!

Keep Planting Those Seeds

Seed…..Time….Harvest – that’s the process. We plant our seeds of faith, our seeds of caring and loving and giving and, sometimes, we think it’s taking way too long between planting the seed and gathering the harvest. We surmise that it must have been unfruitful seed. Take an apple, for example. It is hard to believe, but inside this itty bitty apple seed is a tree filled with apples. AMAZING! One small seed that has the power to produce a bumper crop of apples from a beautiful, fruit-bearing tree. It’s mysterious AND miraculous! All because God is at work and that’s just the way He rolls. From some of the smallest efforts, come some mighty great things from God.

While making the drive from Frisco to Austin, I was listening to "Unlocked", an audiobook by Karen Kingsbury. To say I've been inspired puts it mildly. The story is about a boy who at age three was over-immunized and became autistic as a result. The mother and father prayed for 15 years that the autism would lose its grip on him and he would be unlocked from the prison he was living in.. The story reveals the beautiful mind of this now 18-year-old young man who, in his strong mind, prays and speaks to and encourages others, though his body says otherwise. The parents keep praying for a miracle by planting seeds of faith and watching for any sign that his "prison" is unlocking. Spoiler Alert!! I’m at the part of the audiobook where that’s happening.

I am daily inspired by true-life stories that I see being played out on Facebook by many of my friends. One precious mother whose 8-year-old son was born with Full Trisomy 13, keeps us in her reality "story" as she shares her faith and the slow-in-coming, yet sweet victories. The seeds of faith that have been planted, watered, and cultivated by this most loving and devoted Mom are starting to mature. Yesterday morning I read her words: “Well, we can officially add one more word to Kingston’s vocabulary!! “Man-da!” (Amanda!) He absolutely adores his PT Amanda and this morning he said her name plain as day!! He’s been “babbling” for a few weeks but this is more articulated! A new word is a huge milestone for us!!! I’m believing he will be preaching sermons very soon!!"
Did you catch those mighty faith words? “I’m believing he will be preaching sermons very soon!”

I sincerely believe my post today is for someone who is diligently planting and the harvest, so far, is slim-pickin’s. I get it. We live in an instant-gratification world and it’s a world that values BIG. Big actions. Major impacts. Giant works. It is easy to get caught up thinking only “big things” matter, and we end up thinking our efforts are small and insignificant. Hold on, my Child! Joy comes in the morning. Your efforts, your actions, your kindness, your words, REALLY matter though you think they aren’t massive enough, far-reaching, or grand enough. Oh, contraire! They do matter. They matter because God is at work even when we cannot see it. He is at work in us and through us. We may never be famous or make headlines, but the seeds He plants in us and through us are our opportunity to BELIEVE. Never should we discount our contribution because it doesn’t seem like enough.

Keep scattering those seeds. Extraordinary things are done by God through us. Every positive, packed-full-of-faith word we speak, the encouragement and the offered prayer, the word of hope we deliver, are SEEDS. We never know how God will grow a seed. But, in His time, those seeds will grow. We may or may not even see them. But that is how it works . . . in His way and in His time. We can be at peace knowing we faithfully did our part and now His miraculous work is to come.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time (in due season) we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” {Galatians 6:9}

Keep planting those seeds…..and get your pick-up truck ready to haul in that harvest!!

It's Not Easy – But It Is Sure Worth It

I’m here in Austin where we had a sweet Father’s Day with my son and family. My son is a terrific father and I like to think that he is because of his dad who loved him so much and modeled a loving father and mentor to him. Father’s Day prompted the memories of so many joys my husband and I had in welcoming him, our firstborn, to this world.

We were married for just three months when my bold and daring, young husband announced that we should start our family. “We want to be young parents and grandparents” was his rationale. Indeed, we were just babies when we had our babies (we were 18 & 19 with the first, and 20 & 21 with the second). What a contrast we were to how “on purpose” couples are in planning their families these days: finish college; secure a well-paying job with great benefits; plenty of savings and security -- then they're ready to start their family. Not so with us -- two kids that were inexperienced in life, child-rearing, business, and finances. But, we had plenty of faith, self-confidence, determination, ambition, and most of all, profound love for each other. We were flying by the seat of our pants……and what a flight it was!

My first pregnancy was beyond uncomfortable. I was an office receptionist, working to support my “college-man” husband AND we had a baby on the way. Morning sickness that came with nausea and hanging out in the ladies’ room, was no excuse at my job. I’d greet visitors as they entered the building and then I'd make a mad dash for the ladies room. There were the preparations for our little one, moving from a small one bedroom apartment to leasing a little 2-bedroom home, dreaming, and THEN, the labor and delivery….CRAZY pain that seemed to last forever (really, only hours), that eventually became CRAZY sweet. That baby boy, who we only dreamed of having one day, rushed in and stole our hearts. We were completely in love with that little man. My husband was the proudest dad and assumed his new dad role in life with fervor. But it wasn’t easy.

Why am I sharing this little excerpt from our life story with you? Because it’s a story of puppy love that turned into real, authentic love that knew no bound, child-like faith, dreams, taking risks, and making lots of mistakes. It’s a story of God loving us so much, that He even made our mistakes to prosper. It’s a story of believing that what God starts in our hearts….He is faithful to help us complete it. It’s the same story of anyone who starts out with a dream – perhaps a CRAZY idea that is driven by passion and determination. And, along the way, in an effort for the “birth” of that idea -- whether it’s a business, a ministry, an invention, or heart’s desire -- there is tremendously hard work, pain, waiting, dreaming, and struggle….but there’s no turning back. You’ve given your ALL for this “baby”, and though the months of preparation, dreaming, getting ready for the launch or the birth -- seems like it’s taking FOREVER…..in due season, when it seems it’s not going to happen, the greatest PUSH of your lifetime is required, and then that “baby” you’ve dreamed of having, will make its debut and your dream becomes reality.

Today, I urge you to keep pressing in, forging on, stretching greater, and “Be not weary in well-doing, for, in due season, you will reap if you faint not.” (Galatians 6:9). This "baby" you’re carrying will get here. Be faithful to the dream and vision. Do your part as God does His. Soon, your baby will rush in and, all you’ve worked so hard for will be here. The "baby" may not look anything like you thought he would, but he will be just the way God created him to be JUST FOR YOU! When it does, all the pain, all the sleepless nights, all the worry and anxiety, will be something of the past. I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy! I am telling you it’s ALL going to be worth it.