The Autumn Harvest

Last night as I was preparing dinner, I went outside to see if I could scavenger up some ripe tomatoes off of our four potted plants.  Well, I had to do a little hunting but I did come up with enough for our salad.  As the weather is changing, so is the speed in which our tomatoes are  going from green to red.  A few weeks ago I could have gone out and picked a bowl full just about every night without any effort.  In fact, you probably could have blind folded me and I still would have easily been able to pick some plump red fruit off the vines.  If I were to attempt that now, I would most likely find myself with a hand full of smaller, hard green varieties!

This morning as I looked out at our patio garden I began to revisit the thought of how the seasons of harvest also tend to vary in our own lives.  There are times when it seems that the blessings are just floating in off the wind, in bucketfuls!  Then there are times where they seem to be few and far between… kinda like my tomatoes.  Their vines still look fairly healthy and full but the fruit that’s on them does not seem to be turning green with the same gusto as they did just a very few weeks ago.

What I began to see though, was that there still is fruit on the vines, and in our part of the country, we can still be harvesting garden fruits and vegetables for another month or two.  Just because the blessings and or care of God in our lives seem to have taken a slower turn, it doesn't change the fact that He is still there and wanting to care for you.  What it means is that we just have to become a little more diligent and watchful in the cultivation of the garden of our lives.

Now is the time of year where I tend to watch the weather forecasts a lot closer, especially when it comes to the care of the final fruits on our plants.  Rain can split the fruit and an early frost can kill the entire bush.  If I seriously want to protect my harvest, then I have to take any precautionary steps that are necessary in order receive the expected results.  The same goes for the things that we are standing in faith for.  Hebrews 10:36 tells us that at times like this we “need endurance so that after you have done what God wants you to do, you can receive what he has promised.”  (Gods Word ©)

You know, we enjoyed those few ripe tomatoes that garnished our salad last night, just as much as those that we ate in the heat of the summer… maybe even a little more since I had to work a little bit harder to get them!  Just think about that when you sense that you might be approaching a “dry” time in life.  Remember how good the fruit has been and work a little harder, endure a little more, and then enjoy the harvest that you’ve worked so hard to receive from the garden of His blessings.  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What fruit am I expecting today?”