A Harvest of Blessings 

by Seve Breazier 

This is the time of year when every farmer is out standing in his field! Most of the time, he's riding in a combine or a grain truck, but at least for some of the time, he's standing in his field. Harvest is upon us. It is a time to reap what has been sown, and it can't wait! As Jesus said in the gospel of John, the fields are "white for harvest." That means the grain had matured to the point where it needed to be harvested immediately or it would be lost! Jesus wasn't talking about grain of course. He was talking about people who needed to hear the gospel, who were desperate to know about God's saving love and to find entry to the Kingdom of God. There was no time to lose, and Jesus didn't want anyone to be "lost" or any life to go to waste

This is also the time of year when thanksgiving practically forces itself upon us. It's not just the holiday that we celebrate here in the USA, with turkey, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce. It's the overwhelming sense of gratitude to God for all the blessings of life and for God's faithfulness to the pledge & promise of love we have been given in Christ.  The abundance of the harvest reminds us of the abundance of blessings we enjoy all the time. Beautiful fall days add to our appreciation of all the goodness of God that surrounds us constantly. It would have been so easy for God to make the leaves so that they turned from green to brown, or black, but no, God had to throw in these dramatic displays of yellow, orange,and red, ... just to dazzle us with this amazing touch of beauty! Maybe God did that just to get our attention. I really appreciate it!

This season of Harvest and thanksgiving always stirs something inside me. It helps me remember the ever-flowing river of blessings that comes to us all throughout the year. I'm grateful for the beans and corn, and I'm grateful for much, much more than that. God has been providing for us all along the way! We are gifted with life itself -- the opportunity to live and breathe and experience all the experiences of life. Joys and sorry, companionship and community, challenges and accomplishments, people to know and love, songs to sing and babies to bless -- all we know in life is a gift from God.

I feel like I am doubly blessed. In fact, I think I know the secret to doubling your blessings, day by day! It is a simple matter of learning to pay attention to God's presence and activity in your life and in the world around you. If you don't pay attention to what God is doing, you will still experience an overflowing of multitude of blessings, but you won't know it. Much of the blessing will be lost on you simply because you are not looking for it, and you will miss the full impact of what it could mean to you. However, if you are paying attention to God, and if you make a point of noticing the many ways God is blessing you every day, then you will both be  blessed, and know that you are blessed! Along with God's blessing comes a wave of appreciation, and the blessing of knowing that you are loved by God! It is a simple, but awesome thing, to pray daily for "bread" and to find food on your table, day after day! The food for your body then is also food for your soul, and while you are feeding your body, you are also experiencing the blessing of feeding your heart and feeding your relationship with God. Maybe that's "triple blessed!"

This harvest season, I'm not looking for corn & beans in my field, but I have a million other things to be thankful for. God has planted love in my life, and I am indeed reaping a bountiful harvest of blessings upon blessings. I pray that God blesses you also with a grateful heart!