Fall. Autumnal Equinox. Harvest time.
There are many ways to refer to this time of year when the weather becomes a bit cooler, the sun sets earlier in the evening and nature changes form to reveal a next stage of development and beauty.
The distraction of summer has come to a close and a more serious, contemplative tone settles upon us.
Harvest.
A time to finally gather what has been anticipated through the cold winter, the spring rains and the hot summer sun. The long anticipated harvest! A time to gather, collect and enjoy the fruits of labor and bounty. At last!
So it is with our soul. When we toil the ground of our challenges, water our minds with insight and understanding we too can reap a rich harvest. This process of self reflection and internal work also sees many of the same stages as nature. When the insights and healing come the harvest is bountiful and the fruit most satisfying.
Everyone experiences times of emotional and mental drought in life. There are seasons, sometimes very long ones, that leave us asking if it's even worth planting, watering, tending to or anticipating anything further. We believe no fruit can possibly come from the hurt, challenge or grief we experience. We feel weary under the weight of our burden.
Be encouraged! The work you do in this time of hurt and toil will pay off. I see first hand as people reap the bounty of their labor and obtain freedom from emotional pain they believed permanently lived inside them. They are able to see their work to fruition and harvest a great bounty in due time.
If you are in a time when the distraction of summer has passed and you are left with the familiar ache you wish so much to shed, don't lose heart! Reach out for support and allow a trusted hand to help you through the season towards bounty. Good work happens in the dark and it reveals a sweetness that only comes by understanding, insight and reflection.
Anticipate your harvest! Don't stop short of the bounty. Believe it will happen and if need be reach out for help on the journey.
" ...weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.." - Psalm 30:5