20170823_113556A few weeks ago, I received this slab of seeds which reminded me of a series we went through at church about the Laws of Harvest.  For those who may not know, harvest is the process of gathering ripe crop from the fields.  As you can imagine, there is a huge process that you’d have to get right ahead of harvest time to even be in a position to harvest.  Way before harvest is the planting season, also known as the sowing season.

Because I don’t have a proper garden, I have taken this slab of seed as a symbol. Ahead of the sowing season I do need to prepare the soil. This is what my old friend who is a farmer taught me. He says, the soil only starts giving value 3 to 5 years from the first crop. This is why when you rent land as a farmer you have to agree to a longer term lease of atleast 20 years. I am keeping this box as a reminder as I prepare my soil :- )

Since learning about agriculture from my friend a few years ago, I have learned a few great lessons about the sowing and harvest  analogy and  feel compelled to share.  As a I reflect on the past two years I realize how important these lessons and values might have been.  Importantly, just a few days before my birthday I am realizing just how important they will be in the next coming season of my life.

  1. Sowing requires a lot of patience, like with a dream  a seed is not just dropped into the soil  for the soil to catch.  For a good harvest you have to prepare the soil, and nurture the seed you are planting.  Nurturing the soil is about working on it, touching it with your own hands and showing it care.
  2. When you are planning to sow a seed, you need to study the seasons and be in tune  with the season that is right for your seed. Not every seed is for a rainy season and certainly not every seed is for a cold season.
  3. When you sow, always have the end goal in mind because the harvest is always in proportion to what you sow. 30 grams of pumpkin seeds  will not give you the same harvest as the 300 grams.
  4. Harvest time is always in a different season from the sowing time. Allow yourself the investment of time and energy. Trust the process even when you don’t see anything in the horizon because in its right season it will blossom like a beautiful flower in its season.
  5. Apply faith because you are not fully in control of the process. You do what you can but with out adding faith as an ingredient you will paralyze yourself. Faith is a secret ingredient, when you have done all that you can, you rely on the almighty to do the rest and make sure enough rain comes in its season and the right amount of sunlight comes in perfect dozes.

Now if we bring this a little bit closer to home, sowing and harvesting is about making choices and investing on ourselves throughout our lives.  In this process, there is nothing more powerful than the first lesson I learned from my friend a few years back. You cannot sow on  soil that is unprepared,  kumele sihlakule ukhula  in order to deal with our impediments.

In the book of Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 the bible says,  “He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. 5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. 6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.”

Happy soil preparation and a bountiful sowing to you!

ChurchGirl

LM.