The News (New Glasgow)

Colours of the harvest

- Mike Shindruk Mike Shindruk is a director and vice-president of Master’s Hand Ministry.

As I travelled on the highway, in mid-October near our home here in Nova Scotia, I noticed how quickly God reveals His pallet of fall colour.

During this time of year, trees will be in the absolute prime of kaleidosco­pe of colour. Look closely, and you will see trees with lush green, vibrant red, orange or yellow, and some are already bare. Each colour offers something different to our senses, as we think of the stage of their life cycle for the year. Green signifies a remaining time of growing, the other colours represent a successful harvest, and bare branches are the clearing of the fields, prepared for future growth.

Ponder God’s Kingdom, imagining where each of us fit in His colour scale. Regardless of our age, background or experience, we will always have green leaves if we accept Jesus’ life energy to be nurtured and grow in Him. Stay hungry and thirsty for His presence in our lives. Psalm 107:9 GNT, “He satisfies those who are thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” The red, orange and yellow in our lives are the harvesting of endless bounty as we share Jesus with those around us, whenever and wherever we offer to feed the spirituall­y starving. Bare branches are the prepared fields, ready for fall planting as we reach out to those who have yet to accept Jesus into their lives.

God’s colours promise a better future for all who will come into the fields, inviting Jesus into their hearts and trusting Him to take care of them. Psalm 37:4-5 GNT, “Seek your happiness in the Lord, and He will give you your hearts’ desire. Give yourself to the Lord; trust Him and He will help you.” Most importantl­y, it is the time to give Him thanks — for everything.

It was only after I wrote this message, three years ago that I realized that one of my dearest friends was colour blind. It happened early in her life, so she has a recollecti­on of colours, yet these days colours are muted in her vision.

To anyone else reading this, I hope you can see the way God displays Himself, and our world for us to enjoy. It also reminds me that many people, through events and circumstan­ce, can become “God blind.” That is, we don’t believe, because our eyes don’t see. We don’t believe or see Him every day, because we are either stubborn, or blinded by the vanities of the world.

Well, God will make a way. You don’t need perfect sight to appreciate the world, your friends or your family. Our other senses will compensate. Our ears allow us to listen, our mind allows us to learn, and our heart allows us to know the truth. Jesus is real, He’s alive, and He’s in your life.

Something we should all be very thankful for.

“Ponder God’s Kingdom, imagining where each of us fit in His colour scale.”

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