Harvesting and Planting
Thurman Quote: “...life consists of planting and harvesting, of sowing and reaping. We are always in the midst of the harvest and always in the midst of the planting….Living is a shared process. Even as I am conscious of things growing in me planted by others, which things are always ripening, so others are conscious of things growing in them planted by me.
Citation: “A Sense of Presence,” in Deep is the Hunger: Meditations for Apostles of Sensitiveness, p. 108.
Description: In describing what he calls the “harvest of the heart,” Thurman uses the image of sowing and reaping to reflect the ways in which relationships allow people to invest in one another. Our accomplishments are not simply a culmination of our own work, but the work of all those around us who influence us, guide us, encourage us, and inspire us. Even when we feel unproductive or as though we are in a long winter season, we can know that there are still seeds growing within us. They are planted by those in our community. Because the seasons push ever forward, we know that there is always a new harvest waiting around every corner.
Reflect on: The ways in which you invest in your community. Who are the integral “planters” that invest in you season after season? What seeds are you planting in those around you? How do these things inform your interpretations?
