Reason #388
"Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go
to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest." (Psalm
126:5-6) I have been through a season of weeping as I planted seeds of
uncertainty. I've been watching those seeds and anxiously (often times
impatiently) waiting to see what they are. God has taken my tear-soaked seeds
and started growing them. I suppose the neat thing about it will be the surprise
crop at the end. I don't know how long these little seedlings will grow or when
I'll get to harvest them, but as I am starting to see the tiny sprouts, I am
shouting with joy!
These were my words one year ago. This was where my heart was. On the brink of leaving devastation and venturing into the territory of healing. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the sun has been shining brighter the past few weeks. It's also been warmer, and this weather takes me back to last year. Last year, I was holding out hope for spring. Tired of the cold and the dark and my heart longed for sunshine. I needed warmth. I needed change. A new pattern. And I remember how my heart rejoiced on days like today. Days where the sun began to set noticeably later. Days where I could go without wearing a jacket and be okay. Days that were simply good. They didn't have to be special or extraordinary. I just hoped for days that weren't bad.
It has been a long, long time since I've felt that way. I read these old posts and although I remember them so vividly, I hardly recognize the girl writing them. I look at her and my heart breaks to remember how it felt. My heart is heavy to see the sorrow and pain so honestly spelled out. But at the time I didn't know. All I could do was simply hope. Hope was all I had. And now I sit here one year later, completely aware of the full story, and I only wish I could have known back then. I wish I could have just had a little glimpse into the future. Oh, how that would have helped immensly. I remember even thinking it then. If I could just know what was coming, maybe it would make things a little better.
But I had His word, and I had His promises. I chose to believe them, too. I was sick of crying, sick of being sad and in pain. But I read His word and I was reminded that there would be a purpose in all of it. I was reminded that He was going to use it for something. Somehow, He was using that time, that situation, to prepare me for better things. I knew it couldn't get worse. I knew things were going to turn around, but I also knew I was going to have to wait. Plant the seeds and wait. It is true that we reap what we sow. Some harvests come sooner than others. Some of us may even plant the same seed yet yield a different harvest than the other. But from seed to harvest, it stays the same. Basic farming tells us that the things planted, the little seedlings buried deep below the earth in total darkness, will be what sprouts. He looks at it a little differently, plant with tears and harvest with joy. He says what He means, and so there should be no surprise that when we plant our worries, our concerns, our fears, and our anxities at His feet, when we wait patiently on Him and allow the seed to grow at the rate He desires, blessings will sprout.
Aren't you glad to serve a God like that? One who will take what we plant and turn it into something incredible? One who will allow us to bury our ugly seeds at His feet and, with time, will bring something beautiful and completely unexpected from it? I'm grateful He did that for me. I didn't know what was coming, I didn't know what to expect, and truth be told, there are still seeds waiting to sprout and be harvested. But I'm so thankful for what I have right now. I'm so thankful that God has taken those tear-soaked seeds, grown them, and allowed me to experience a harvest of joy. Only He can do it, and He gladly will if we'll trust Him, wait on Him, and not give up while doing so.
#388 - Because He has grown those tear-soaked seeds into a harvest of joy for me to reap!
"So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up." - Galatians 6:9
These were my words one year ago. This was where my heart was. On the brink of leaving devastation and venturing into the territory of healing. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the sun has been shining brighter the past few weeks. It's also been warmer, and this weather takes me back to last year. Last year, I was holding out hope for spring. Tired of the cold and the dark and my heart longed for sunshine. I needed warmth. I needed change. A new pattern. And I remember how my heart rejoiced on days like today. Days where the sun began to set noticeably later. Days where I could go without wearing a jacket and be okay. Days that were simply good. They didn't have to be special or extraordinary. I just hoped for days that weren't bad.
It has been a long, long time since I've felt that way. I read these old posts and although I remember them so vividly, I hardly recognize the girl writing them. I look at her and my heart breaks to remember how it felt. My heart is heavy to see the sorrow and pain so honestly spelled out. But at the time I didn't know. All I could do was simply hope. Hope was all I had. And now I sit here one year later, completely aware of the full story, and I only wish I could have known back then. I wish I could have just had a little glimpse into the future. Oh, how that would have helped immensly. I remember even thinking it then. If I could just know what was coming, maybe it would make things a little better.
But I had His word, and I had His promises. I chose to believe them, too. I was sick of crying, sick of being sad and in pain. But I read His word and I was reminded that there would be a purpose in all of it. I was reminded that He was going to use it for something. Somehow, He was using that time, that situation, to prepare me for better things. I knew it couldn't get worse. I knew things were going to turn around, but I also knew I was going to have to wait. Plant the seeds and wait. It is true that we reap what we sow. Some harvests come sooner than others. Some of us may even plant the same seed yet yield a different harvest than the other. But from seed to harvest, it stays the same. Basic farming tells us that the things planted, the little seedlings buried deep below the earth in total darkness, will be what sprouts. He looks at it a little differently, plant with tears and harvest with joy. He says what He means, and so there should be no surprise that when we plant our worries, our concerns, our fears, and our anxities at His feet, when we wait patiently on Him and allow the seed to grow at the rate He desires, blessings will sprout.
Aren't you glad to serve a God like that? One who will take what we plant and turn it into something incredible? One who will allow us to bury our ugly seeds at His feet and, with time, will bring something beautiful and completely unexpected from it? I'm grateful He did that for me. I didn't know what was coming, I didn't know what to expect, and truth be told, there are still seeds waiting to sprout and be harvested. But I'm so thankful for what I have right now. I'm so thankful that God has taken those tear-soaked seeds, grown them, and allowed me to experience a harvest of joy. Only He can do it, and He gladly will if we'll trust Him, wait on Him, and not give up while doing so.
#388 - Because He has grown those tear-soaked seeds into a harvest of joy for me to reap!
"So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up." - Galatians 6:9
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