Everyone Wants a Harvest, But Few Want To Plow

I love the flowers of summer. My patio is filled with assorted pots…about 40 of them in a very tiny space. And there is every color of flower that God created in those pots. They are profuse with blooms and I sit and soak in all the intricate tiny details of each blossom and thank God for His extraordinary creative Hand.

But that array of blooms comes with a price. The price is dirt under my finger nails and broken fingernails! It is breaking up clots of dirt and allowing no clay in the soil. It must be a rich nourishing soil that takes a lot of preparation to bring forth the harvest. And the harvest does not come instantly. It takes time which means watering and the precise amount of fertilizer when it appears that there will be no desired results. It takes time to search out the plants I want and analyze which combinations will be most beautiful in the planter. Furthermore, some thrive in the sun while others die with too much sun, so it takes careful planning and tender care of the plants for them to flourish.

Jesus talks about the harvest being plentiful but the labors being few. Just as it takes blood, sweat and tears to bring forth a gorgeous bouquet if flowers, so too it takes patient, hard work to bring someone to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. If I step on a tender plant without being careful not to step around it, it will die. Too much water and too much fertilizer will kill it. All care must be in moderation.  It takes effort. It also takes a desire to want those flowers. It took a lot of people willing to give of time and effort in the greenhouses to bring seeds to the point of the seedlings that I could then bring to the point of mature growth.

Jesus needs help. He created the seeds. He needs the greenhouse workers. They must be educated in the rules of care to tend to the seeds. So too, we must be educated by the Word to know the rules of care. It takes time and effort and patience to plow the soil. But the effort is totally rewarded when Jesus gathers the harvest. The effort is totally rewarded by giving Jesus the joy of us being a servant for His Glory. Look beyond the labor necessary to plow the soil. See! The Master Gardener stands and watches. The smile on His face is for the person holding the plow who toils in obedience to Him. The laborers are few. Will you be a laborer for Jesus? Or a bystander? I can go and buy a bouquet at a flower stall at the local market and enjoy it. But there is a far greater sense of satisfaction and fulfillment when I have given my time and effort to co-create with God a harvest of beauty. How much more beautiful in His eyes, the harvest of a soul for Him.