Harvest Time

“He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.” (Proverbs 10:5)

Just outside the conference room at Bible Center Church is beautiful oak tree on a grassy knoll. I have a strategy to help me through the frequent and long meetings that I am part of in that room. I usually try to sit in a location where I can see out the floor to ceiling windows that look out beneath the canopy of the Oak Tree. When the conversation gets tedious or -- dare I say it …boring – I can find some relief in the acrobatic entertainment that is just beyond the glass. Often in fall the tree is alive with several squirrels. The picture above is of one of this gang. They chase each other through the branches, sometimes they stretch out and snooze on a limb. They at times will groom their furry coats but the main object of their attention is the acorn harvest that the tree produces. One day they are making repeated quick trips to the ground to grab a fallen nut and then make a quick ascent to a safe spot and devour the delicacy. When they are quite full of acorns they invest their energies in burying all the acorns that can. I can only guess how many acorns lay under the surface of the particular slice of real-estate. I also wonder how many of these will ever be dug up for a winter snack. One thing that is sure these little guys make the most of the opportunities to prepare for the future.

The verse above proves that this is a wise approach to life for those who are more earth-bound. First, industriousness is a virtue. It is a wise, practical, profitable, honorable, and smart thing to do. Hard and persistent work is highly commended and highly recommended. This is an important reminder when the norm of our culture is to work at play and to play at work. The second lesson from this verse is that one should take advantage of opportunities. Just as a harvest only comes once a year and only lasts for a brief period. We must ever be on the alert to take advantage of the sometimes fleeting opportunities in life. The opportunity for parental influence is shockingly short. The chance to bear a witness to a co-work is short-lived. The chance to choose to do right only occurs once per situation.

I want to gather in summer and don’t want to be asleep during the harvest.