🍁 An October Reflection 🍁

Gathering the Harvest

October brings a change we can see all around us.

The leaves turn golden and brown, the fields have been harvested, and the earth seems to slow down after the abundance of summer. There is a quiet beauty in this season of gathering in.

Harvest reminds us to pause and notice what we have been given.

We can so easily focus upon what is missing from our lives … the things we wish were different, the prayers that seem unanswered, or the paths we had hoped would unfold differently. But October gently invites us to look again.

What blessings have we gathered along the way?

Perhaps they are not great or dramatic things. Perhaps they are found in a warm cup of tea, a familiar face, a kind word, a beautiful morning, laughter shared with someone we love, or simply the gift of another day.

Sometimes the greatest blessings are the ones we have become so accustomed to that we forget to give thanks for them.

Harvest also reminds us that we are not meant to keep everything we receive for ourselves. The fruits of the earth are gathered so that they can nourish others too.

In the same way, the kindness we have received can be passed on.
The wisdom we have gained can be shared.
The love we have been given can become love that we give.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures for ever.”
— Psalm 107:1

As October unfolds, perhaps take a little time to reflect:

🍁 What blessings have I gathered this year?

🙏 What have I perhaps taken for granted?

❤️ What have I received that I could now share with someone else?

🌻 Where can I find something to be thankful for, even in difficult circumstances?

And perhaps, before the month is over, make a little mental harvest basket of gratitude … filling it with the people, moments, memories and blessings for which you are thankful.

We may not always be able to choose the season we are walking through, but we can choose to look for the gifts within it.

May October remind us to stop, gather up our blessings, give thanks for God's goodness, and share what we have with those around us.

Lord, open our eyes to the blessings that surround us,
our hearts to gratitude,
and our hands to generosity.
Help us to recognise the harvest in our own lives
and to share its goodness with others.
Amen. 🤍