Casandra Martin

He was just a little guy when I had my first glimpse. He was visiting his grandparents on a hot summer day. A repairman was working on a problem with their garage door, and my little guy couldn’t resist watching the gentleman use his tools. He planted himself in the garage, fascinated with the work going on. My son sat out of the worker’s way, even as the older gentleman and my little guy carried on a lively conversation. At one point his grandmother poked her head in to check on my son and the workman told her he was doing great. “He is preaching me a sermon about Jesus!” the man replied.

Every once and a while, God gives a glimpse. We plant seeds all around us, praying that Jesus will grow in our families, our friendships, our work, and ourselves. The growing process, however, is long and we tend to lose sight of progress when it is so easy to see where we fail and fall short. That is where glimpses come in. A glimpse is a small peek into the way God is working in and around us. They are moments when we get to stop, see, and savor.

“…a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;” – Ecclesiastes 3:2b

We tend to think of harvest time as far away and that our job today is to focus entirely on planting. Planting is necessary, but so is taking time to rejoice in the harvest. There is a time to stop and measure the blessings God has poured into the day. When I heard the story about my son and the garage door repairman, I knew it was a glimpse. I wasn’t done planting Jesus in his life, but it was a moment to recognize what God was already starting to grow in him. Glimpses of the harvest give us the courage to keep planting.

My Jesus Resolution today is to pay attention to the glimpses. There is a time to plant, and with it to pray for Christ to take deep root. There will also be a time to pluck up the fruit of what God is growing, hold it close to my heart, and give thanks. These little moments remind us in the midst of the ordinary, everyday, over-busy stress of life that God is present, at work, and encouraging His children to keep planting and trusting Him with the harvest.