Brambling

Just back from picking brambles. The sun is out; the sky is blue; my heart was singing to the Lord (and so was my mouth sometimes!)

As I filled my fourth punnet, I thought of the lavishness of this year’s bramble and cherry harvests. Delicious fruits, growing without any husbandry. They grow on the verges of the fields, fields which the farmer lavishes with care and chemicals, fields which yielded poor crops this year because of unusual weather conditions.

Everyone watches the fields for the harvests and bemoans the poor result. Relatively nobody is looking along the verges, which the Lord is blessing with abundance.

I thought of my own prayer life. I lavish most prayers on certain people and situations. I watch carefully for signs of growth. Meanwhile, what is the Lord doing along the neglected verges of my life? I am missing great things when I fail to see what the Lord is doing, and join in with him to bring in the harvest.

So my prayers  coming back changed as I asked him to show me the verges in my life, so that I can join in to bring in an abundant harvest, a harvest all down to the Lord of the harvest. I asked him to give us more workers in our community, to scour the verges for signs of growth and then to nurture and bring it into the Kingdom.

And if you’re out my way, bring some empty punnets. The verges are ripe unto a delicious harvest.

Peas in a Pod

Hurricane winds have calmed and, though the temps have cooled and it feels as if summer is on the wane, it is pleasant enough to get out into the veggie patch and bring in some of the harvest.

Yesterday I scooped up peas, spinach, lettuce, rasps and blueberries (any wonder my back was sore?) but there is more out there just waiting to be brought in and dealt with. 

It’s so wonderful having food fresh from the garden, free of any sorts of chemicals or sprays, but ... It is a lot of work. Because I haven’t been out there checking daily, many of the peas I brought in were swollen against each other in the pods, coming out nearly square in shape because they had run out of room to grow. They are still delicious to eat, but not as delicious as the smaller, sweeter ones.

Jesus looked out at a field and declared to his friends that the fields were ready to be harvested but there were too few workers. (sounds familiar...) He, of course, wasn’t talking about the wheat or grain harvest but the spiritual harvest.

We look round our world today, in such throes of agony and despair, and see so much need. People in trouble don’t need a sermon, they need a hand. They need a listening ear and a compassionate heart and then some practical help. 

Peas only grow in the pod during the short (in Scotland) growing season before the plant begins to brown and wither. Then, whatever the size of the pea, the pod begins to wrinkle and dry up and the peas inside grow inedible.

The fields are ripe. Where can I be productive today in a practical way?