Don’t become weary; work hard to see the Harvest

Don’t become weary; God will bless your good work.

 

 

There are many things in life that can make us weary; tough relationships, difficult circumstances, things not falling together the way we had planned….  But God doesn’t give us an out.  He doesn’t say, “Oh, when you are tired of life being hard, curl up in a ball and just let the world pass by.”  Sometimes, we wish He did.  Sometimes, when we have yet to see a harvest of good fruit in our lives, it seems to hard to go on.  But it doesn’t have to be.

God has given us everything we need for life and godliness, and we just need to continually go back to Him to be refilled.

When we don’t feel like we can go on anymore, God gives us enough grace for the day.  We just need to seek Him out, and ask Him to meet us where we are, and provide what we need.

My brother is in prison. It’s one of those times for him. He lives with the feeling that hope is lost. That life is coming to a painfully slow halt. It’s hard to breathe, hard to sleep, hard to think, hard to live.

But isn’t it beautiful when you see good stuff come full circle?  Let me explain.

This morning I met with a missionary who is leaving soon for the field.  She shared with me about her previous church experience.  She shared a sad story of her lead Pastor falling into sin and getting a DUI, and eventually being sentenced to 7 years in prison.  This guy is gone from his wife and family for 7 years, for making some dumb choices one night.  However, he has the keys to eternal life.  He knows Jesus.  He loves God.  He has repented of his sin, and he is walking in the light.  He is leading fellow prisoners to Jesus.  He is seeing a different kind of harvest than he ever could have anticipated.

Hold that thought.

I have been praying that my brother could find a friend in prison.  Someone that would encourage him, give him hope, inspire him to find all of life in Christ (wishful thinking?).  So what could bless a sister’s heart more, than to hear of a wayward Pastor who happened to end up in the prison of my little brother?  A Shepherd, off the beaten path, ready to make disciples in a new mission field.  Oh, yes, there are consequences this man must pay for his sin, but, man, oh, man, is God redeeming this horrid thing in this man’s life and making it beautiful.

God can, and will, work all things together for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.

I pray that my little brother can find this Shepherd-Friend in prison.  My hope is not lost.  My brother’s life is still worth living.  He should still get out of bed.  He should embrace this part of his journey and see what God has next for him here.  When you are a child of God, you can’t fall through His everlasting arms.

Just ask the imprisoned Pastor.