Sowing and Reaping the Harvest

Yesterday's encounter with the man in the grocery store has had me in deep thought. Before my life became encompassed in the daily challenge of raising little kids again, one of my main focuses in life was soul winning. I know that phrase can make many cringe...especially those who don't want their souls"won"...bear with me......

When I first got saved, I was told that soul winning was going door to door and sharing the gospel with as many as you could. I admire those that can do that...I am not called. Maybe it is being married to Sweetheart, but I think of how he would feel and how he would receive that. Not too well. I know there are many shut ins who need to hear the Word, and praise God for the ones who are called to go door to door. Another way of soul winning is to become a missionary and travel to far away lands, or even to depressed areas of your own city. Nope. I can't do that either...not called. However, we Christians are ALL called to share our faith. I have made my blog that avenue, but it has become so comfortable that I think the winds are changing. I remember the first time I ever saw someone share Jesus with a stranger. It was my friend Shelly. She freaked me out!! For example, we would drive through the McDonald's drive thru and as we were pulling away, she would look the person right in the face and say, with the biggest smile and almost a look of sympathy, "Jesus loves you darling!" I immediately would cower down in my seat and feel the red flush rising up my face. "Holy crap, Shelly!! What is wrong with you!" I know...that is close to blasphemy, but I was a baby. (Strangely, those McDonald's girls LOVED it when Shelly came through! You would see a sour look on their face until they saw it was Shelly, and they would beam knowing she would bless them!) I watched this girl lead countless people to Christ....she would pray with just ANYone at ANYtime...right there in the middle of the Walmart, she would talk to some stranger, who for some reason would, within the first 2 minutes, share some problem in their life. I would come around the corner to find her holding hands with some strange woman, eyes closed and head bowed, praying right there in the side of the aisle with tears streaming down the strangers face. When she was done, Shelly would hug the person and introduce me saying something like, "This is Mary. Her sister's baby is really sick in the hospital, so we just prayed for her." The person would always have a combination of shell-shock and gratitude across their face. When we would leave the person, Shelly would give them her phone number and would add their name to her list of those to pray for. Many of them came back into her life, and she prayed with them to receive the Lord. Salvation...that was her goal for people. After spending many years with Shelly, I learned much about witnessing....many Christians were turned off by Shelly...intimidated I think, maybe because they were not comfortable with her style. She always professed her love for people....She would tell a stranger she loved them. To be honest, early on in my relationship with Shelly (we met 24 years ago) she told me she loved me so much, I told her to STOP IT! Over the years I learned this was not just words...she meant it every time she said it. Without giving details, I was in awe of how she could have such a love and passion for the lost, when her life had more than it's share of trials. Though I led people in the prayer of salvation every once in a while, I was frustrated with the fact that I was not leading enough people to the Lord. I was not stopping people in the store to pray with them at random, as I am not Shelly, but there were many times conversations would pop up with strangers...nothing deep, just casual check out line talk. I could and would always end my conversation with an "I'll pray for you", or "God bless you today." As I prayed for God to open doors, He did. Here is what I have learned about myself..... I am called to be a seed sower. Shelly is a reaper. That is not to say, that Shelly does not sow seed, or I do not have the honor and privilege to pray with someone as they receive their Saviour...I just did that with my own son a couple of weeks ago. There is no greater honor than to see someone accept the free gift of salvation. To sow into someones life takes risks. It takes stepping out of your comfort zone. It does not mean you have to go door to door, or pass out tracts, or even mention the name Jesus...it just means being ready at all times to show the love of God to others in what ever way He leads you in. Jesus tells us,

" Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours." John 4:35-38

It is impossible to think one person can do the job required of MANY. When people say "so and so led me to the Lord.", it is not really so. Many people were used before that one came along at just the right time. I use to be worried too, that I would miss the open door God had created, but I have learned that if you miss it, God will just use someone else and be willing to use you the next time. We may not all be Shelly, but that does not mean we are not called. Again, my experience with the man in the store yesterday was a huge reminder of what it felt like to be usable. I said not one word about the Lord, yet he saw it....he did not need a witness from me, as he already knew the truth. Still it brought me to that place in my past where I loved to be....usable. Sowing seed brings no glory. It is not something you ever do expecting to see any results. Most people Shelly has prayed with have told her about different people who had sown seeds into their lives over the years before she ever met them. They were "white already to harvest". Also, we need to be ready to reap that harvest sown by others. Believe me, if you are a seed sower, God will send some across your path who are ready to receive their salvation. There is no glory in that either, because as a reaper, you know that you entered into the labour of others. This ALL ensures that the glory goes DIRECTLY where it belongs....to Him who sits upon the throne!

Me and Shelly at my son's wedding. (Shelly is on the left)