Every Season Has a Purpose

“Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

The Bible tells us that there are seasons in life. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (NIV). 

The fact that life is made up of seasons means that life also includes times of waiting. Between the “then” and the “now” (or the “now” and the “what’s coming next”), there is always a delay. This irritates most people. It can be frustrating to make a deposit, investment, or plan and not have it instantly come to fruition.

But fruit ripens slowly. Would you rather eat a vine-ripened tomato or one that has been picked green and ripened later in storage? There’s no comparison between a vine-ripened tomato, which was allowed to grow slowly, and a tomato that was picked prematurely. If you pick too soon, you miss the flavor.

In money management, I'll always reap in a different season than I sow. And, by the way, not all fruit ripens at the same time. If I grow peaches, they’re not all ripe at once. They come in little by little; I pick a few a day. When I start planting and following God’s money management principles, I'm not going to see all the results tomorrow. It’s going to come in over time. I'm going to have to wait to reap in a different season.

But while I'm waiting, God is working. When I'm waiting for the fulfillment of the efforts or money or energy that I've put into something, I may think nothing’s happening. 

But, oh, it’s happening! While that seed is hidden in the ground, it is slowly germinating. And when that seed bursts with God’s blessing on it, it will continue growing and growing. One day a little shoot will stick up out of the ground, and then I will see that it’s working.

But until then, I need to trust that God is working, even when I can’t see the fruit of my labor.

Plants take time to grow. There’s no such thing as instant maturity. No farmer goes out, plants the seed in the ground, comes back an hour later, digs it up, and expects it to have grown. I've just got to let it be, and let God grow it in his time.

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (NLT).

What have I been waiting on God to bring to fruition in my life? For me, God has been slowly building my character and knowledge so that when I go begin to coach, train and mentor outside of my current organization, I'll be more mature and make a difference for others.

How have I grown spiritually as a result of having to wait for that harvest? For me, definitely. I have come to realize that times of waiting and trials is where God is building my character.

What has God taught me as I've been waiting on him? He has taught me that his timing is always the best.

Why do I think God makes me wait to reap what I sow? For me character growth, belief, and trust in his plans.

In Summary:

This passage addresses the reality of life's waiting seasons, using agricultural metaphors to illustrate that meaningful growth, maturity, and financial or spiritual yield take time. Paul's instruction in Galatians 6:9 encourages believers to resist weariness in doing good, reminding us that a harvest is guaranteed at the proper time if we persevere. While human nature demands immediate returns, spiritual and character formation mature gradually underground before visible results emerge. As I prepare to transition into coaching, training, and mentoring outside my current organization, this delay is not passive downtime—it is God actively shaping my character, deepening my trust, and refining my capacity so that my future impact is rooted in maturity rather than premature execution.

Bottom Line:

Spiritual and character maturity cannot be rushed; enduring the delay between sowing and reaping is what prepares me to sustainably carry the influence God is building in me.

Next Step:

Document my Maturity Markers. To align my current season with my identity as an external coach and mentor, commit 30 minutes this week to auditing the specific character traits, wisdom, and skills God has built in me during this waiting period. Define 2–3 core competencies or personal standards I now possess that I did not have a year ago, and outline one concrete discipline to maintain them. Framing my current waiting period as active preparation turns frustration into purpose, ensuring that when the transition occurs, I step out from a foundation of proven integrity and readiness.

 

Selflessness Brings Out the Best in Relationships

“The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.” Galatians 6:7-8 (MSG)

Selfishness destroys relationships. It is the number one cause of conflict, arguments, divorce, and even war.

James 4:1 says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (NIV). Every trouble starts because of self-centeredness.

It’s very easy for selfishness to enter relationships. When I first start a relationship, I work hard at being unselfish. But as time goes on, selfishness begins to creep in. People often put more energy into starting and building relationships than they do in maintaining them.

If selfishness destroys relationships, then selflessness is what makes them grow. What does selflessness mean? It means less of “me” and more of “you.” It means thinking of others more than I think of myself and putting other people’s needs before my own. As Philippians 2:4 says, “Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others” (CSB).

Selflessness brings out the best in people. It builds trust in relationships. In fact, if I start acting selflessly in a relationship, the other person changes too; when I'm selfless, I'm not the same person anymore, so they have to relate to me in a different way.

Some of the most unlovable people, those who no one wants to be around, are often transformed when someone is kind and selfless toward them. When someone is given what they need—not what they deserve—they change in beautiful ways.

The Bible says in the Message paraphrase, “The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8).

This is the biblical principle of sowing and reaping. Whatever I sow, I'm going to reap. When I sow selflessness, I reap God’s blessing. This is how he’s wired the universe: The more unselfish I am, the more he blesses me. He wants me to become like him, and he is unselfish. Everything I have is a gift from God, a result of his unselfishness toward me. 

So while here on this earth, I'll be most fulfilled when I give myself away. Jesus said, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it” (Mark 8:35 NLT).

In summary:

Selfishness is the silent "weed" that chokes the life out of relationships, serving as the root cause of nearly every conflict and fallout. While it is easy to be generous at the start of a connection, we often drift toward self-centeredness as time passes, neglecting the maintenance required to keep a relationship healthy. However, the biblical principle of sowing and reaping in Galatians 6:7-8 makes the stakes clear: planting seeds of selfishness only yields a life full of "weeds," while planting in response to God’s Spirit produces a harvest of "real life." By choosing selflessness—putting others' needs before our own and giving ourselves away—we not only mirror God’s unselfish character but also create a transformative environment where trust can grow and even the most difficult people can be changed by grace.

Bottom line:

Relationships are a harvest, and I cannot reap intimacy if I'm are only sowing seeds of self-interest.

Next Steps:

Stop "hiding" behind my defensive mask by sharing one small, honest feeling today, then pivot to empathetic listening to bear someone else’s burden without trying to fix it. By sowing these seeds of vulnerability and selflessness, I trade my "weeds" of isolation for a harvest of genuine intimacy.

How to Plant Seeds of Great Value

“Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” Genesis 1:11 (NIV)

Everything starts as a seed. That’s the first law of the harvest.

Every achievement started as a seed. My life started as a seed, my parents got together and I was conceived, my life began. Literally everything that’s living on planet Earth came from a seed.

In Genesis 1:11 God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds” (NIV).

There are physical seeds that I plant in the ground. But seeds are also anything valuable that I give away. When I give away praise, there’s value to that. When I give away good advice, there’s value to that. When I give away my time, there’s value to that. When I give away money, there’s value to that. When I share my experiences to help other people, there’s value to that. When I give my love away, there’s great value to that.

It all starts as a seed, whether it’s my time, money, appreciation, attention, wisdom, or energy. I will have thousands of opportunities to give away the best of myself and make a difference for God’s kingdom. I can use those opportunities to sow life.

My words can also be seeds that you plant in people’s minds. They grow, and they bear fruit. So I need to choose my words wisely. My words have power over the people I love the most—my daughter, spouse, and friends—but also the people I meet in your everyday life.

What kind of seeds am I planting in my relationships and with the people God brings into my life? It takes courage to plant seeds of trust when I've been hurt. Am I planting seeds of trust—or seeds of distrust? Am I planting seeds of kindness, or seeds of crankiness? Am I planting seeds that build up, or are seeds that tear down?

Remember: I will reap whatever I sow. So take heart—and I need to be courageous in planting seeds that have great value and lasting impact.

In Summary:

Genesis 1:11 teaches that everything begins with a seed—and that includes not just plants, but every part of life. Whether it’s time, money, love, encouragement, wisdom, or even our words, what I give away holds the potential to grow and bear fruit. Seeds are anything valuable I sow into others, and my life is filled with countless opportunities to plant for God’s kingdom. My relationships, conversations, and actions are all fertile ground. The kind of seeds we choose—whether trust or fear, kindness or criticism—determines the harvest I'll one day reap. So I'm called to sow wisely, courageously, and generously for lasting impact.

Bottom Line:

Everything I give—whether time, words, love, or resources—is a seed, and what I sow into others will grow and return, so I must choose to plant what honors God and builds others up.