Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: HARVEST (11/21/19)
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TITLE: A Little Extra | Previous Challenge Entry
By Chiazo Obiudu
11/27/19 -
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The plants were starting to sprout, but unfortunately, so were the grasses. The weeds had to be cleared and we needed to apply manure to the land to boost the pants’ growth. I was quickly losing interest. Sadly, interest wasn’t all I lost; I also lost the entire okra and maize plants. Suffice it to say that when it was finally time to get the cassava, we didn’t get a bumper harvest. I eventually did get my hands dirty during the harvest, and my kids, who tagged along to the farm with me, got more than their hands dirty; my little toddler had dirt all over his clothes and face. Yet somehow, we managed to make the day fun. So what we lost in harvest, we made up for by turning the day into an adventure of some sorts (if, like my kids, you consider getting all muddied up and stung by an angry ant, an adventure).
However, I took away something more from that event. Asides the fact that it gave us something to laugh about despite the dismal harvest, God used that occasion to teach, or rather, re-teach me a very important lesson. The bible tells us that what we sow is what we reap. I learnt literally, from that day that, if I sow sparingly, I will also reap sparingly. But I had sown; I mean, really sown. I used up every available piece of space on that land. Where there was no cassava, I made sure that there was either an okra or maize plant. However, it dawned on me that it must go beyond sowing. To get the desired harvest, there is a place for giving good nourishment and extra nurturing.
It’s like raising kids. We sow good seeds into them by living and teaching them the word of God. But it goes beyond that. We need to nurture them with lots of tender loving care. We need to give them the good things they need to grow to be the people God made them to be. We also need, as much as we can, to remove any “weed” or negative influences that may hinder their growth. The same applies to other relationships. We have to invest quality time and sometimes scarce resources in order to cultivate wholesome and healthy relationships.
The bottom line is that in any area of our lives, to reap a good harvest, it takes making sacrifices. If I had sacrificed a little more time, put in some more sweat equity and risked getting pretty dirty early in the day, I just might have had a better outing on my farm. But I have learnt a vital life lesson which is much more important that a few extra crops: I must make the right investments and make sacrifices where necessary to get the right results in any worthwhile venture.
I hope to take this lesson to the farm next year; I think I might give it another shot, just for good measure!
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