A Harvest Worth Preserving - Ministry of Hope with Melanie Redd

Farmers have a clear understanding that they are not in control of the elements. Let's look at how a harvest worth pursuing matters.

I am the Fruit of the Vine

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.”

John 15:5

Our ancestors were immigrants who left faraway lands, coming to America for a chance to live off the land.

My grandparents were included in that movement.

Indeed, they brought with them an indelible love of nature.

Tilling the ground for earth’s bounty is in my blood.

We were farmers and little wonder that this verse in the Gospel of John is one of my favorites.

It is a metaphor for our lives: to bear good fruit as we live and grow in Christ.

Truly, farmers know about growing and they also know they are not always in control.

Truly, farmers know about growing and they also know they are not always in control. Click To Tweet

Farmers have a clear understanding that they are not in control of the elements. Let's look at how a harvest worth pursuing matters.

A Harvest Worth Preserving

Growing the Harvest Worth Preserving

Farmers have a clear understanding that they are not in control of the elements. They deal with droughts, flooding, early frost, and pestilence.

And, our lives are no different.

COVID is a stark reminder.

Our lives have been altered.

Normalcy feels like a faraway dream.

Since the start of the year, we have been in varying stages of lockdown, intermittent quarantine, and distancing. Any return to normalcy comes in fragmented pieces of our former lives.

But we humans are resilient.

We can adjust.

Moreover, we can thrive.

But we humans are resilient. We can adjust. Moreover, we can thrive. Click To Tweet

And, we can find new ways to grow as evidenced by the number of creative accomplishments showcased on social media.

Folks are posting their prolific gardens along with photos of very appetizing homecooked meals, loaves of bread, and yes, even canned goods.

Canning? Really?

Then I read that canning has become so popular, there is currently a shortage of Mason Jars.

And oh, my memories of canning season bubbled up like an old percolating coffee pot.

Preserving the Harvest Worth Preserving

Those of us of a certain age can recall the centuries-old practice of preserving fruits and vegetables by canning.

Families cultivated the soil, planted seeds, and with proper nutrients and sunlight, they preserved what the earth gave them.

As I watched these cycles of life: the sowing, the caring, the growing, and the preservation of food and as a young girl, I did my part. Although it was many years ago, the recollections are there.

In his poem, Robert Frost reminds us of how fleeting life can be—leaf subsides to leaf, so dawn goes down today . . . nothing gold can stay. That was the time of our youth—-was it an hour or so? But like Ayla in Clan of the Cave Bear, we have the memories.

The Things That Binds Us Worth Preserving

My memories of the canning season are vivid and aromatic.

Hypnotic blends of basil, oregano, onion, and garlic drift through my membranes. In our Italian subculture, the tomato was its own food group.

At the peak of ripeness, it would be time for the stewing and canning of tomato sauce, or gravy, as we called it. (The Italian word for sauce was “ragu” which simply translates to gravy.)

My mother, my aunts, and I would sit around a large cauldron sitting atop an outdoor fire pit in my grandmother’s backyard separating tomato skins from the fruit after they were momentarily dipped into boiling water.

After the skins were removed, we would slice open the red plum-like flesh to squeeze out the seeds into a bucket. Later, the seeds would be dried and saved for the next year’s garden. Then the tomato pulp would be thrown into the humongous iron pot.

Then, my grandmother would stir the thickening gravy with a huge wooden spoon. This took hours, but the sharing of stories made the time seem short.

Soon the washed jars were filled red and we would have more than was needed. Abbondonza. Somehow, I felt we were preserving more than the harvest.

We were blessed with abundance.

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV

All That We Need Worth Preserving

Abundance.

We have so many blessings.

So many things, and even many extravagances.

So how much is too much? Fast-forward to today.

There comes a time when we must purge or at least organize our excesses. I began with my linen closet.

Stuffed between the towels and sheets were random things like boxes of Band-Aids, unused candles, and light household hardware. The day came when I said enough! I needed less stuff and better organization.

I purchased sets of storage boxes and corralled all the loose items into their properly labeled box.

Before long, I had neat rows of labels of boxes labeled ribbons, dental items, tape, glue, and first aid. I stacked them neatly, but there were a few boxes that remained without labels.

They seemed to be begging for a purpose. I wondered, what else needs to be stored for future use?

Then a whimsical thought skipped across my mind. And then . . .. I knew.

A Harvest Worth Preserving

If you can expand this photo and look closely you will see a box for Joy, a box for Love and a box for Courage. Then I added Faith/Doubt as box-mates. (They did not want to be separated) A Gratitude box came next. And this process reminded me of Christ’s message in the Gospel of John.

“If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.”

Sometimes I need visual reminders. My labeled boxes remind me that I have a surplus of blessing from the ultimate fruit of the vine.

And that even in mundane home projects, I am not apart from Christ. I love my atypical boxes.

Each time I go to this closet in need of a band-aid, some tape, or any other array of stored items, I smile when I see my abundance of divine harvest. And it self-renews.

His harvest is without end and replenished with use: our divine bounty of Joy, Courage, Gratitude, Compassion . . . and the greatest of them . . . the power of LOVE . . . our renewal energy that powers the world.

His harvest is without end. Click To Tweet

Afterthought on a Harvest Worth Preserving

Here are two more boxes.

Hmmm.

What labels would you use?

About the Author:

Gloria is a contributing author.

You can see her blog, The Nature Whisperer at https://gloriasstories.com/

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Then, would you share this article with a friend, co-worker, or family member?

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© Melanie Redd and Ministry of Hope, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Further, excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Melanie Redd and Ministry of Hope with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

A Harvest Worth Preserving

I am the Fruit of the Vine

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.”

John 15:5

Our ancestors were immigrants who left faraway lands, coming to America for a chance to live off the land.

My grandparents were included in that movement.

Indeed, they brought with them an indelible love of nature.

Tilling the ground for earth’s bounty is in my blood.

We were farmers and little wonder that this verse in the Gospel of John is one of my favorites.

It is a metaphor for our lives: to bear good fruit as we live and grow in Christ.

Truly, farmers know about growing and they also know they are not always in control.

A Harvest Worth Preserving

Growing the Harvest Worth Preserving

Farmers have a clear understanding that they are not in control of the elements. They deal with droughts, flooding, early frost, and pestilence.

And, our lives are no different.

COVID is a stark reminder.

Our lives have been altered.

Normalcy feels like a faraway dream.

Since the start of the year, we have been in varying stages of lockdown, intermittent quarantine, and distancing. Any return to normalcy comes in fragmented pieces of our former lives.

But we humans are resilient.

We can adjust.

Moreover, we can thrive.

And, we can find new ways to grow as evidenced by the number of creative accomplishments showcased on social media.

Folks are posting their prolific gardens along with photos of very appetizing homecooked meals, loaves of bread, and yes, even canned goods.

Canning? Really?

Then I read that canning has become so popular, there is currently a shortage of Mason Jars.

And oh, my memories of canning season bubbled up like an old percolating coffee pot.

Preserving the Harvest Worth Preserving

Those of us of a certain age can recall the centuries-old practice of preserving fruits and vegetables by canning.

Families cultivated the soil, planted seeds, and with proper nutrients and sunlight, they preserved what the earth gave them.

As I watched these cycles of life: the sowing, the caring, the growing, and the preservation of food and as a young girl, I did my part. Although it was many years ago, the recollections are there.

In his poem, Robert Frost reminds us of how fleeting life can be—leaf subsides to leaf, so dawn goes down today . . . nothing gold can stay. That was the time of our youth—-was it an hour or so? But like Ayla in Clan of the Cave Bear, we have the memories.

The Things That Binds Us Worth Preserving

My memories of the canning season are vivid and aromatic.

Hypnotic blends of basil, oregano, onion, and garlic drift through my membranes. In our Italian subculture, the tomato was its own food group.

At the peak of ripeness, it would be time for the stewing and canning of tomato sauce, or gravy, as we called it. (The Italian word for sauce was “ragu” which simply translates to gravy.)

My mother, my aunts, and I would sit around a large cauldron sitting atop an outdoor fire pit in my grandmother’s backyard separating tomato skins from the fruit after they were momentarily dipped into boiling water.

After the skins were removed, we would slice open the red plum-like flesh to squeeze out the seeds into a bucket. Later, the seeds would be dried and saved for the next year’s garden. Then the tomato pulp would be thrown into the humongous iron pot.

Then, my grandmother would stir the thickening gravy with a huge wooden spoon. This took hours, but the sharing of stories made the time seem short.

Soon the washed jars were filled red and we would have more than was needed. Abbondonza. Somehow, I felt we were preserving more than the harvest.

We were blessed with abundance.

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV

All That We Need Worth Preserving

Abundance.

We have so many blessings.

So many things, and even many extravagances.

So how much is too much? Fast-forward to today.

There comes a time when we must purge or at least organize our excesses. I began with my linen closet.

Stuffed between the towels and sheets were random things like boxes of Band-Aids, unused candles, and light household hardware. The day came when I said enough! I needed less stuff and better organization.

I purchased sets of storage boxes and corralled all the loose items into their properly labeled box.

Before long, I had neat rows of labels of boxes labeled ribbons, dental items, tape, glue, and first aid. I stacked them neatly, but there were a few boxes that remained without labels.

They seemed to be begging for a purpose. I wondered, what else needs to be stored for future use?

Then a whimsical thought skipped across my mind. And then . . .. I knew.

A Harvest Worth Preserving

If you can expand this photo and look closely you will see a box for Joy, a box for Love and a box for Courage. Then I added Faith/Doubt as box-mates. (They did not want to be separated) A Gratitude box came next. And this process reminded me of Christ’s message in the Gospel of John.

“If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.”

Sometimes I need visual reminders. My labeled boxes remind me that I have a surplus of blessing from the ultimate fruit of the vine.

And that even in mundane home projects, I am not apart from Christ. I love my atypical boxes.

Each time I go to this closet in need of a band-aid, some tape, or any other array of stored items, I smile when I see my abundance of divine harvest. And it self-renews.

His harvest is without end and replenished with use: our divine bounty of Joy, Courage, Gratitude, Compassion . . . and the greatest of them . . . the power of LOVE . . . our renewal energy that powers the world.

Afterthought on a Harvest Worth Preserving

Here are two more boxes.

Hmmm.

What labels would you use?

About the Author:

Gloria is a contributing author.

You can see her blog, The Nature Whisperer at https://gloriasstories.com/

Were you inspired by what you read??

Then, would you share this article with a friend, co-worker, or family member?

Or, maybe you can send it to a friend or family member?

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