It’s Harvest Time, All the Time!

“You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.” John 4:35

The above verse has the following annotation in my NLT Bible:

4:35 – Sometimes Christians excuse themselves from witnessing by saying that their family or friends aren’t ready to believe. Jesus, however, makes it clear that around us a continual harvest waits to be reaped. Don’t let Jesus find you making excuses. Look around. You will find people ready to hear God’s Word.

Amen!

One day in May of this year, while my grandpa was in Hospice, I called my Pastor Bud to ask if he could come pray for gramps. He was busy but asked Pastor Dave Sweet to come pray for him instead. My grandpa died a couple hours after he left, with family by his side. My mom (cynical and not interested in God at the time) was so thankful grandpa could have that since he had accepted Jesus in his heart just a few months prior, before he declined. My mom wrote Bud and Dave a thank you note, but she struggled hard with gramp’s death. The months of taking care of him had caught up with her and watching him die was too much.

I had been praying for her a lot and she welcomed it. Well, last month was gramp’s would-be birthday and mom went into a week of really horrible grief. I asked her if I could invite Bud to pray with her and she said yes. Although we were never able to arrange it, I did give her one of my pocket-sized books on John 3:16. She later told me she had read a few chapters and over the next couple weeks she began asking me more questions.

We talked a lot about her past (raised and confirmed in the Catholic church, she was leery of churches in general because she equated them with condemnation.) By the way, this is something I hear quite often from people raised in a Catholic or Baptist environment. She asked me if I believed in angels and asked me what I thought about her Bible (it was a Catholic version given to her when she was 13.) She said she had been reading out of it but wanted to know if she should get a new version because she doesn’t want to stay with the Catholic denomination.

I had put all this out of my mind, until a couple days ago, when I came across the above verse from the book of John. I just happen to be in John for my daily Bible reading, and this verse hit me hard. The first thing I thought about was my mom. All of us do presume that people aren’t interested because they don’t flat out say so. But what if they’re just waiting for you to invite them in?

I sent my mom an email that very moment I read the annotation, inviting her to church with us on any Saturday or Wednesday she wants, and her answer blew me away.

YES, without any hesitation whatsoever! And not just “someday” but this very weekend, and each and every weekend her and my dad don’t have plans. We’ll ride together, she said, just let me know what time it starts and ends.

She was waiting for me, for someone — to simply ask.

What if all it takes for someone’s life to be transformed by Christ is asking them to church?

What if there are people out there right in front of you waiting to be harvested?

How many people have you just walked by, assuming they are not ready to hear about Jesus?

For their sake, ask them!  You may think they are not ready, but only God knows for sure… so go back up and read that verse and annotation again, and think of someone God would love for you to reach out to. If they aren’t ready for the harvest, at least you’re planting the seed.

I love you momma, and I can’t wait for you to join us Saturday for Bible shopping and church! <3