Sheaves and Sadness

Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.

 - From Psalm 126

So, here is the Scripture reference that inspired the great hymn, mostly from the Southern Baptist tradition: "Bringing in the Sheaves." A sheaf is a bundle of a cereal plant, as in wheat, or rye. An essential grain. And in the Year 2017, grains are more popular than ever, as long as they're gluten-free.

The 126th Psalm is replete with promises of joy, to those that had wept. 

One of my biggest learnings in 2017, was this: As you look about you, always assume sadness.

When you are dealing with an angry person, assume sadness.

When the child is acting out, assume sadness.

When the spouse is arguing, assume sadness.

When the co-worker or employee is underperforming, assume sadness.

When the relative is voting differently than you, assume sadness.

See what I'm doing?

Sadness permeates everything that is wrong with the world. So when God promises joy, especially to those that had been weeping, He has nailed it right on the head. Dead-center. His hammer comes down to perfectly leverage the nail so that it secures back together, forever, the pieces of our lives that had been torn asunder. He does it with one stroke. (I will leave it to the reader to guess where I am going with this hammer and nail illustration).

You can't be angry with a sad person. You just listen. You wait. You serve. You give them space.

The planting of seed, when it is essential to one's survival (not as in the Victory Garden type of planting, where people with everything garden for the fun of it), is a drudgery. But you get it done. 

But when the grain is brought back in, in the Harvest time, it is a time of joy. We're going to make it another year. 

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.