1 – A Harvest of Blessing

By AMY GARVIN

 

“Whoever sows to please their flesh, from flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:8-9)

Camping. S’mores by the fire at night (after dinner at a nice restaurant, obviously), snuggling to sleep in the cool night air, lazy coffee-sipping by the fire in the morning, breathtaking hikes through God’s creation. What a romantic adventure!

That is definitely what my husband and I were imagining early in our marriage when we went camping for my birthday. And it actually turned out like that, for the first night. But late the second night, we arrived back at our campsite to discover that our tent had been the site of a torrential downpour. Our air mattress was floating in the tent and all of our firewood was soaked. We responded to this with grace and humor, right? Nope.

Disappointed and frustrated, and with no one to blame, we pouted. We snapped at each other. And for two solid hours, we sat in the dark, damp, mosquito-ridden campground… and fought. Neither of us wanted to call it off and just go home, because it would mean the end of this much anticipated get-away. But neither of us really wanted to stay either, because all of the romance was now gone from it. We finally stuffed our soggy tent and camping chairs into the back of our Honda Civic well after midnight, and drove the two hours home in icy silence.

Fast forward several years, and this past summer we packed up for an adventure with our three small children. This time we added an eight-hour drive, a week of camping, picky eaters and food allergies, child-sized attention spans, and a very, very small budget.

We made it to our destination still smiling–at the exact same time a severe thunderstorm hit. While our kids waited in the van, my husband and I gritted our teeth and set up camp, slipping in the mud and slapping mosquitos. Classic. And then we had an amazing week. Yes, the kids still whined. Yes, we snapped at each other occasionally. But there was so much grace. My husband had grace for me when the absence of a fire pit made me act like my world was ending. We had grace for ourselves when our expectations proved unrealistic. This adventure was so much more enjoyable than many we had earlier in our marriage, because we have had so much more practice! By God’s faithfulness, we have had 13 years of practice in communicating with love, in extending forgiveness, in giving and receiving grace. For His glory, we have had 13 years of sowing good things into our marriage and into each other, and it is so fun to be reaping the blessing of that. I feel humbled and grateful that God enables us to continue to choose each other.

And the best part of this is that God is not surprised. In fact, the Bible promises that this would happen: “…whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:8-9, NLT)

So, friends, let’s not get tired of doing what is good, for our spouse and for our marriage. For at just the right time… the harvest will be bountiful.

 

TALK ABOUT IT

What areas of your marriage are currently providing you with opportunities to practice love and grace?

Name a few things that have been challenging but could become seeds to sow into your marriage for a future harvest of blessing?

Think of a few ways your can encourage your spouse to not give up on doing good.

 

 

Amy and her husband Ryan live in Fergus Falls, MN in a 100-year old little house that they’ve nicknamed The Dollhouse. They enjoy mentoring married couples, as well as investing into the many young students at Hillcrest Christian Academy where Ryan is a History Professor. They have three adorable girls.