Fall is probably my most favorite time of year. The weather gets a little cooler, my palate shifts from fresh berries and summer fruits to hearty squashes and pumpkins, and the holiday season is just around the corner. There is so much anticipation for ending the year with fun, family gatherings and expectation for what’s ahead in the quickly approaching new year.
Fall is harvest season and I can’t help but take an account on the things that I am currently harvesting in my life. If I am being honest, sometimes I harvest doubt, self-pity, and fear, and on my daily journey of life, I am releasing these things so that I can harvest more positive and productive things in my life – gratitude, love, and compassion.
I can’t talk about harvest without first thinking about planting season. In order to have a harvest, you have to have seeds planted. If there are no seeds, nothing grows. There is a saying that I have heard often and believe whole-heartedly: “Healthy things grow.”
I often think about seed I have planted as how I have invested in others, how I develop creative ideas, and how I cultivate projects that God has placed on my heart. For me, being a voice teacher it has been highly rewarding to see progress in students. As a filmmaker, seeing a script become a movie and come to life in front of an audience is super exciting! Mentoring young women and encouraging them to seek after what God is doing in their lives is also a wonderful thing.
Once the planting is done, you get to see what grows and then you get to reap the harvest.
There is no doubt that the year 2020 is a totally unprecedented year, full of things no one ever expected. As of today, there have been 2 million deaths worldwide due to the coronavirus. 20% of deaths have occurred in the United States. There are less than 40 days left until the November election, and I feel overwhelmed with the political divisiveness and unstable climate over issues that divide our nation. This year has seen multiple riots, horrendous scenes of looting, scenes of murder and racial injustice, sweeping fires and hurricanes that brought floods and destruction to an already hurting world.
There is so much fear and worry for what is ahead, that it is easy to harvest negativity. Instead of that, I make the choice daily to search for Good News. Social media is filled with good and bad, and it is so easy to get caught up in it all. It is better to search your heart and change your perspective on what is around you.
Harvest gratitude.
Despite the constant struggle of fear, worry, and negativity, I am still filled with gratitude. I am alive, have breath in my lungs, and have a Creator who loves me (and you) so much. He knows how this will all turn out. His Plan will win out over anything else.
I don’t spend time worrying about the trivial matters of life that are out of my control. I can only take responsibility for the things that are placed in my hands and make the very best decision I can to show love and compassion towards other people who are different from me.
What are you harvesting?
So when it comes to harvest time, I am trusting that the seeds I planted in the past are ripe and ready for what’s ahead. If you struggle with finding gratitude or thinking of anything positive right now, I suggest taking some time to ask God to show you the good things in your life.
Take a walk, turn off your phone and unplug for a while.
Take a breath and be still.
There are things to be excited about in this season, positive things to harvest, so don’t get caught up in the negative. Make Philippians 4:4-8 a daily reminder:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers [and sisters], whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.“
