The Harvest You Can’t Yet See

One of the hardest things to surrender in life is our relationship with results.

We live in a world that teaches us, do the right things and you’ll get the right outcomes.

And in many ways, there is truth in that. Our choices matter. Our habits matter. Our faithfulness matters.

But the longer we walk this road, the more we realize there is a difference between influence and control.

We can influence outcomes.

We cannot control them.

That reality shows up everywhere.

It shows up in our work, where we can give our best and still face unexpected circumstances.

It shows up in our relationships, where we can love well and still experience disappointment or hurt.

It shows up in our health, where we can make wise choices and still find ourselves walking roads we never expected.

This has been one of the biggest lessons for me during my battle with cancer.

Cancer itself was never a result I expected. Like so many people, I was trying to take care of my body, walk closely with God, and live faithfully, yet this was not the road I imagined traveling.

And through this season, God has been teaching me how much I need to surrender the illusion of control.

Because if we aren’t careful, we can start to believe that if we simply do enough of the right things, we can guarantee certain outcomes.

But faith was never meant to be about controlling outcomes.

Faith is about trusting the One who holds them.

Just recently, God has been bringing me back to a verse that has become incredibly meaningful to me:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9

I love that Paul doesn’t tell us exactly what the harvest will look like.

He doesn’t tell us exactly when it will come.

He simply reminds us of this: our faithfulness is never wasted.

The things we do for the Lord are never in vain.

Every prayer prayed when no one sees.

Every act of obedience when it would be easier to quit.

Every moment we choose trust over fear.

Every time we continue walking faithfully when the results aren’t immediately visible.

God sees it all.

And in His perfect timing, He brings about a harvest.

Our responsibility is faithfulness.

The results belong to Him.

Maybe today you’re discouraged because you’ve been doing the right things but you’re tired of waiting for the fruit.

Maybe you’re wondering if continuing to press on is worth it.

Can I encourage you?

Don’t give up.

Keep showing up.

Keep trusting.

Keep loving.

Keep serving.

Keep believing.

The harvest is coming.

Not because we have everything figured out.

Not because we can control the outcome.

But because God is faithful.

And one day, we will look back and see that He was working all along.