How to Be Intentional This Summer

Are you struggling to be intentional this summer? And why should this matter? I have an encouraging devotion for you today.
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How to Be Intentional This Summer

“A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.”
Proverbs 10:5 NLT

Have you entered a summer slump? Are you sick and tired of being quarantined? Are you discouraged because this summer is different than any other you’ve experienced before?

This verse in Proverbs can help you value this summer season and not take it for granted. It’s all about being intentional in this season that God has ordained for you.

Be Intentional in Your Harvest

Last week, my sons helped a farmer friend bail straw. My older son stacked bales on the wagon, and my middle son then stacked them in the barn. This was hot, hard work that left them covered in scratches on their arms and hands. They were worn out at the end of these laborious shifts.

As the saying goes, you must “make hay while the sun shines.” Why? Because if you go to the hours of trouble and work of cutting hay, then raking it, then baling it without carrying it back to the barn while it’s dry, you risk ruining your hay (or straw).

Here in Missouri, local farmers plan their mowing while carefully watching weather forecasts. They gather crews of helpers to move the hay quickly, before summer rains return. Time is of the essence for a productive harvest. This is also true later in the year, when they harvest wheat, corn, soybeans and cotton in my area.

In my own vegetable garden, I harvested the first round of snow peas and sugar snap peas last week. Yet some of them had swelled huge and were too starchy to eat. Thankfully, I can save them to replant this August for a fall crop. But picking them on time, right when they ripen, yields the best flavor and texture.

How You Can Be Intentional This Summer

What if you aren’t a farmer or gardener? What lesson does this verse hold for you? The point is to be intentional in the season you’re in. Each season, whether it’s a natural season or a life season, has times of harvest. Work hard and harvest on time, and you’ll benefit from the fruit. Wait too long, or sleep through harvest, and you’ll waste your opportunity for fruitfulness. You’ll also suffer disgrace.

What needs harvesting in your life right now? Is it a relationship that needs nurture and time? Do you need to devote attention to a creative project, service opportunity, prayer list, or Bible study? Is it a daily time just with you and God? You may have several areas that need harvesting in this season. Your harvest may require hard work and careful attention, yet the rewards will be great.

If you “sleep through” this harvest season, what do you or others stand to lose? I know you’re busy, just like I am. But can you carve out 5, 10, 15, or 20 minutes every day to devote to your priority? What will it look like at the end of the summer if you make this commitment?

I encourage you to write out this verse to hold you accountable to your harvest. You can put this written verse in your planner or Bible, or put it on a sticky note and prominently display it. Meditate on it daily to have a fruitful summer.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,
I praise you as the Lord of the harvest.
You have chosen me to produce a unique harvest for your glory.
Help me act with intention this season, Lord.
With your wisdom, power and strength, I can be fruitful for you.
Guard me from the temptations to sleep through my opportunities.
Remind me that I’ve been created to fulfill a purpose.
I thank you in advance for the harvest you will reap through me.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

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