In Hopes of a Good Harvest

By Lydia Chorpening

July 1, 2013

Lena hummed Louisa Stead's meaningful hymn as she smoothed the warming soil over the lettuce seeds she'd sown. "Well, what makes you so happy this morning?" Sadie had just come to help her daughter plant their garden.

"Oh, it could be different things. Did you notice how warm the sun feels and how good it is to be out in the fresh spring air?" Lena's answer wasn't the real reason for her happiness. "I heard you had someone bring you home from the singing last night," Sadie persisted.

"Yes, it was Johnny Beachy. We had a lovely evening."

"Isn't this the third Sunday night in a row that he's brought you home?"

"Yah zis, (yes, it is)" Lena replied

"Didn't I hear that Johnny and preacher John were spending some time with Bible studies?"

"Yah," Lena smiled radiantly. "Johnny was telling me that they had been studying Ephesians chapter one. That is what we read last night."

Sadie was thoughtful before she answered. "I am so thankful that God is giving you the opportunity to be with a young man who is interested in the things of God. I wish I would have been blessed in that way at your age. Learning the Scriptures wasn't encouraged when I was growing up."

"Reading Ephesians One with Johnny last night made me happy. It was refreshing to be with someone who could carry on a meaningful conversation. Do you realize how many promises are in that chapter?"

Lena resumed humming her tune. Realizing that she was "blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ," made her feel closer to God. That chapter also said she was chosen of God from the very foundation of the world. Why not feel happy?

"Vell, I will admit, mother, there are some big words there that I don't understand, like predestinated, redemption and riches of His grace, but they all seem to hold some weighty promises that I want to understand."

"As long as you study the Word of God we won't have to be concerned that you will turn out like Elroy's Emma did." Sadie continued. "If she had just seen all that Jesus did on the cross for her, she probably wouldn't have snuck away during the night and gotten herself in such a mess. Though she was with a group of ex-Amish she missed her family and came back all messed up.

"Ich vayz, (I know)", Lena replied. "I don't know why Emma left like she did. I just want to know more about God's Word. I want to learn what ‘redemption' and all the other big words mean and how they relate to me.

"Some of those words are hard to understand, but I think I have heard it explained that redemption means to buy back. It has to do with Jesus' death on the cross."

"Mother, we are planting good seed here, aren't we?" "Why, yes," Sadie answered. "It's the same seed that always yields praise-winning produce."

"That's just it. In Genesis I read that God made everything to produce fruit after its own kind. Can't I believe that if I read God's holy Word that it will help me produce godly fruit? I will surely learn the meaning of these words."

"There are still so many things to learn, but you are right. Scripture is truth and truth produces more truth." Sadie replied

"Mother, I love you and I love being here in the garden planting seed in hopes of a good harvest. I do think that as I study God's Word I will better understand Scriptures like Ephesians 2: 8 and 9. These verses say that I'm saved by God's grace and not by my own works. I'd like to believe that understanding these concepts would yield a spiritual harvest."

As if in deep thought Sadie covered the peas she had just sown into her neat, straight rows.

"It was refreshing for me to be with a young man who could speak about concepts and values. Somewhere I heard that little people talk about people. The average people talk about weather, but it takes a big person to talk about concepts and values."

"You have a point there," Sadie chuckled. "I'll pray that we will both understand God's Word and become more like Him as we do."

Lena resumed humming Louisa's hymn,

"Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!

How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!

O for grace to trust Him more!"