Developing Talents: The Law of the Harvest

Our girls like crafts and baking best, but it was time for some fun games.  We talked about Choosing the Right and the Law of the Harvest.  Then using popcorn, indian corn, gourds, and some extra large size scarecrow type clothes we played a lot of fun fall games.


Some Harvest Games

1) Popcorn eating contest, eat a plate of popcorn with no hands
2) Gourd roll, see who can roll a bumpy gourd the farthest
3) Hot indian corn pass, like hot potato
4) Scarecrow dash, a relay where you dress up like a scarecrow
5) Apple apple pumpkin, (duck, duck goose, the time honored classic)


This is unedited, but it has a good message...

The law of the Harvest:

You reap what you sow, character is like the seed, achievement is like the fruit.
Right now you are developing character, the achievements will come later based on what you have sown. That is the first rule of the law of the harvest. You reap what you sow. If you plant corn you get corn, if you plant gourds you get gourds, sunflowers—you get sunflowers.

But things take awhile to grow. Sometimes corn grows in July, but sunflowers don’t come until August, and gourds and pumpkins take all the way until October to be ready. That’s the second rule. You reap or harvest later. You sow character traits now and you reap the fruit later. Just smiling and saying hi once, or sharing your lunch doesn’t bring the fruit that same day. The real fruit might take weeks like corn, months like pumpkins, or years like fruit trees. But don’t forget the first rule even if it takes time. You will reap what you sow.

The third rule is the very exciting one. How many cornstalks can come from one ear of corn?
How many apples come from one good apple seed? The third rule to remember is that you reap in greater abundance than you sow. Assuming that you chose good soil and took good care of the seed. So we need to plant good characters and then take care of them. We have all kinds of help in the gospel. We can pray daily, we have scriptures that we can read daily, we have parents, teachers. Lots of help. Then comes the time to reap what we have sown. And you always reap in greater abundance than what you have sown. Good or bad.

Yes, you can have bad fruit. You can plant weeds and thistle. One dandelion plant can infest a whole yard because of the third rule, you always reap in greater abundance than what you have sown.

Tell a story to illustrate (example: tell a story about two young girls, one who always cares about friends and always took time to help and listen to them and one who was always busy working. Explain that as the years went by one seemed to be like an angel in the community with hundreds of friends and people she had influenced, loved or helped. She was very happy. The other worked hard all the time, but no one seemed to care, she felt lonely, unappreciated, and sad. What was the difference?

There are lots of things that we can sow now, but let me tell you a few of the most important things. You need a testimony of the gospel. It takes time and effort. Come to as many activities like this as you can, pray every night and every morning, live the commandments, especially the hard ones. These are the seeds and you will have a powerful testimony as the fruit that will not fail you when you need it most, because remember the third rule is you reap in greater abundance than you sow.

But what character trait is most important to sow? Let me tell you a huge secret. The answer is in the Book of Mormon.

Moroni 7
46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47 But acharity is the pure blove of Christ, and it endureth cforever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

How do you sow the seeds of charity? You have to love other people and always have time for them. Treat them like children of God, be patient with them, forgive them, try to understand them, praise and congratulate them, try to understand how they feel, hug them when they need it. Smash spiders for them if they are scared, remember their birthday, give them a nickname that makes them smile, remember their favorite food, whatever it takes. There are lots of seeds we can plant, but be careful you don’t forget the most important one, charity, love people like he loves people.

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall cbe like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be dpurified even as he is pure. Amen.

Remember these three rules. You reap what you sow, it takes time to reap, and you reap in greater abundance than what you sowed, good or bad.