Fruitful

My mom's word of zugunruhe (a restless surge to migrate) had me looking for other words and sayings about the end of the summer. I never did find a word that means ‘not ready for summer to end’ or ‘clinging desperately to the last days of summer’, but I did run across a line by author Evelyn Waugh, which described summer as "the fruit always ripe". This thought stopped me in my tracks and has had me thinking all week.

It is true in a literal sense, for anyone who has ever owned a zucchini plant at least. We didn’t plant many vegetables this year with our move, but my cousin did give me two cherry tomato plants, and we can go outside each day and pick one or two ripe ones. Summer is full of bounty.

I think so often we long for only ripe fruit in our spiritual lives, progress rapidly developing into perfection or completeness. To know our teenagers are going to be OK because we see ripe fruit in their lives rather than immaturity and hints of development. To know we picked the right house to buy because we see everything as it "should" be, rather than projects and surprises. To feel connected with God, to see dreams coming true, to watch ourselves respond to all situations with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. To not have to confess sins or deal with the consequences of the same sin appearing in our life again and again. To be able to see and label the good that has come from the valleys of our life.

Instead we are called to keep leaning on God, embracing the ever changing seasons of our personal lives and seeking a homeland. In Hebrews 11, Paul details the faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Sarah. Then he reminds us:

All of these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on the earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. Hebrews 11:13-14.

That sounds a lot more like a restless urge to migrate than an attempt to make summer and its fruitfulness last forever!

Our dog has a new, restless urge to chase all the 
restless squirrels hurrying to gather nuts for
winter.

The title of this blog, Carrying Sheaves, comes from Psalm 126. In this psalm, the people are joyful because of what God has done, is doing, and will do. They cry, weep, laugh, sing, rejoice, sow, and reep in response to exile, return, and restoration. It reads like sorrow turns to joy and only joy remains. But here in this life, before the complete restoration of Heaven and Jesus' second coming, we experience joy and sorrow together: the bounty with the weeds, the ripe fruit mixed with overripe and unripe, always planting and sowing with tears and laughter, trusting God with the final restoration.