“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (NIV)

It’s late spring, nearly summer in Alaska, and I’ve definitely got the garden fever. I have visions of a cut flower garden, herbs to snip right from my back deck, and gigantic fresh veggies to feed my family all season long. But I’ve also been joking with friends that I want all the harvest, but I don’t want to put in the work!

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I love the idea of gardening but haven’t done much myself because, when I was little, I watched my dad grow tons of things in our small, southern California yard. I saw what it took to get a bountiful harvest - soil amending, planting, weeding, watering, staking and pruning. He was patient with the process, slowly adding garden beds over time and perfecting his techniques for growing different vegetables. I helped, but mostly just observed, my father tend a garden, and for years and years we enjoyed the bountiful harvest that was the reward for his labor.

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Even though I know the harvest is worth the work, I still struggle to persevere in the long labor of planting, weeding and watering. The writer of Galatians, Paul, knew perseverance was a struggle for his audience of new believers as they lived out their faith. In his letter to the churches in Galatia, he instructs believers in verse 9 of Chapter 6, “Let us not become weary in doing good.” The “let us not” feels like a prayer for God’s support in what they were called to do because Paul knew they were struggling with doing what was right in God’s eyes. Today, we too are prone to becoming weary in this dark and sinful world, where living for God is a daily battle and it might feel easier to hide ourselves away, waiting for Jesus to return.

We become weary of doing good in this world when the problems are too big. We become weary when there is so much pain and sadness in the world. It is easy to become weary when we are working hard at doing good, but we don’t see the results. We invest in friendships, but they aren’t going well; put our 100 percent into jobs and careers, but the business is failing or the clients we serve are still struggling. We can be working hard at being a good spouse, but ours isn’t trying at all to do the same. In so many areas of our lives we are putting in the good work, and the situation or relationship isn’t turning out good.

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But Paul tells us that we shouldn’t give up because, at just the right time, we will see the harvest. This harvest might be new disciples, or more evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, or seeing the Kingdom move forward in new ways. Whatever it looks like, this is the promise: the harvest will come, even if we don't see it yet.

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My dad, the gardener, knows that the harvest comes when you persist in the good work of tilling the earth and nurturing the plants in your care. The gardener’s efforts pay off, and he or she reaps what was sown in love and patience, wisdom and time. The seed you plant hopefully grows and multiplies, giving you enough for your family and sometimes even the neighbors.  

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Good works are like that too: God’s goodness, grace, mercy and love are sent out through our good works, shared with believers and unbelievers alike.  Where is God calling you to persist in your good work this week? How can you trust more fully in his promise that, at the proper time, there will be a harvest?

Patient and Loving Father, you are outside of time, and you hold the world in your hands. So often we just can’t see what you are doing; we are too short-sighted and too distracted by the problems in life to see you are working out all things for the good of those who love you. Help us to not get tired of doing what is right. You promise that at just the right time, we will see the benefits and rewards of our efforts if we keep at the good you call us to do. You are victorious over sin and death, and therefore, as your children, we can persist in light and love and goodness. Lead us into the good work you have for us, to bring about your Kingdom here on Earth. Amen.