Luke 10:2, And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.

The moment her tiny feet hit the plush carpeted floor, I was pulled from my sleepy state. I laid still knowing that in mere seconds I would hear her break through our bedroom doors and feel her crawling into our warm bed.

I know these things for they have been occurring on nearly a nightly basis for several weeks. I believe my daughter is still half asleep when salty tears are pouring from her big round eyes. She tells me that she is having bad dreams and she is afraid. We have prayed non-stop for our daughter. We have asked for the removal of her bad dreams and the infilling of God’s spirit to bring her peace and restful sleep. Restful sleep for both her and I for some nights these wakings happen multiple times.

I have pondered the thought that perhaps these night wakings have somehow morphed into a bad habit. My young child has grown accustomed to curling up into our bed and sleeping securely between her Mother and Father whom are her greatest form of security. I took action and, for the last week, have aroused myself from the comforts of my bed to carry her back to her room all the while praying my heart out for whatever is disturbing hers.

I am groggy this day for the four am waking occurred once again. But, alas, it was not my eldest who arose with bad dreams, but my youngest who cried tears for my attention. For her to wake is most unusual.

And then, this very morning, a dawning of sorts began to form in my soul as I was pressing into The Lord. This past month has been a most busy one. My husband and I have travelled much for our respective work, and I have been on a writing feast in preparation for a greater goal. By the very nature of our work lives, our home is our refuge and we are almost always together as a family unit. It came to my attention that our time spent together in communion as a family has been lacking.

My daughter’s words hung heavy in the air last evening when she asked if we would all be sitting down together for our evening meal. I realized that for the last month our dinner time meals have been a blur of business: me feeding them, taking dinner to my husband as he is working on a deadline, and me eventually eating what is leftover in the pot after it has grown cold.

My daughter’s night crawling just very well may be a cry from her little soul to be in a communion of sorts. In my child’s young mind, she may not know how to properly articulate her feelings.

Sometimes seasons in our lives tend to overwhelm us and we are left at the end of the season staring at a levelled field wondering what happened. Seasons in life get busy- God understands that and possesses much grace for our failings. But I wonder if The Lord’s Spirit ever feels levelled when we are so busy doing His work yet sometimes neglecting the most important work that He has given us. It is as if we just ran over Him with our purposes and agendas.

I pressed into The Lord with greater strength in order to be obedient in seeking my burning bush with Him this day. To attain a greater clarity in what it was my daughter needed; what I may have been missing all along.

In my prayers a most beautiful picture began to paint itself within my scattered head. We know that there is a time for planting and a time for the harvest. So often we feel like pulling in the harvest is much more exciting so we wait in anticipation to do so. But when we are so fixated on the harvest of the field before us, we can easily lose sight of the field beside us. Though that field is growing and preparing its own bounty for the harvest, in our failing we neglect to keep nourishing the field and it begins to wither.

I saw in my mind a picture of a large plow, one figure behind the wheel running over the field with great joy bringing in the harvest. And it was a great bounty.

Father, I’m pressing. What is it you desire me to see?

And in a beautiful moment a new picture began to form. It was a woman in a rice field. Slowly, with a steady hand, she harvested the sprouted seeds one by one. Strapped to back were her children.

Beloved, Lead. Labour together.

I do not know how to achieve this goal within my own family, but I do know that within the kingdom of God we are not an island unto ourselves and we all must labour together. Whatever the dream The Lord has for my daughters, I must press into Him and pray on their behalf. I must ask for wisdom in guiding their precious souls, and I must seek knowledge on how best to nurture their needs.

From one night waking to the next.

Father, thank you for the gift that is the innocence of children. Your Word tells us that there is great reward in coming to you as a child. May our eyes and ears be open to the guiding of your Spirit and seeing all that is your goodness within the hearts of little ones. Amen.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog to receive news posts right in your email the instant they are posted on the site. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TODAY!