Nancy Hughes: Harvest and the hay crew

“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”

Matthew 9:37 (NIV)

“The hay crew is here. See you at lunch,” my dad would call to my mother as he headed out the door to the barn. My sisters, brother and I would scramble to get the best spot on the front porch to watch the parade of tractors, combines, hay rakes, balers and wagons being driven or pulled onto our farm to help with harvest.

Driving that machinery were neighbors from nearby farms who helped each other in the hay fields every summer as well as a hay crew hired from around the community. The focus of each man was to work together to bring in the harvest.

We never tired of watching the process of harvesting each summer. First the hay was cut and allowed to dry. Then it was raked into rows and pulled up into a baler that shoved the hay into bales, tied them with twine and “spit” them out onto the ground.

The hay crew would throw each bale on a wagon where other crew members carefully stacked it so it would not fall. When the wagon was full, the bales were hauled to the barn and stored for the winter months when food would not easily be found for our cattle.

While all this was going on, my mother would be preparing a huge lunch for the men so they could get refueled for an afternoon back in the hot fields. Dad knew how hard the men worked and would stop for water breaks to cool off throughout the day in addition to rewarding each one with a generous paycheck when the work was done.

After several years of harvesting, my dad began to notice a difference in the attitudes of the young men who made up the hay crews. They began to demand changes. They wanted more water breaks and an even bigger lunch. They complained about the heat but wanted the same pay to work less hours in the fields.

Their excuses were varied: “I need to leave early. I have a date,” said one. “It’s just not fun anymore,” commented another young man. And a third member of the hay crew was overheard saying “It’s not MY hay. Why should I care if it gets done or not?”

The focus of the hay crew was no longer on the importance of the harvest but on themselves. Where once there was a pride in how the bales were stacked, they instead were thrown on the wagon - and ultimately in the barn - in a haphazard and unsafe manner.

As the focus shifted from bringing in the harvest to taking care of perceived needs, the result was instant: a lot of the hay remained in the field and was lost.

Jesus talked often about the harvest of souls and the need for workers in the harvest field. But so many times, just like those young men, we have excuses for not being a willing, enthusiastic member of the “hay crew.” Here are some of mine: “I don’t know what to say to him.” Or “They won’t listen to me anyway.” And “What if she gets mad?” What about “My life isn’t what it should be so how can I talk to someone?”

Let me ask you something. Are any of those excuses (and they are excuses) acceptable to the Lord? No, not one. The harvest is all around us; we are simply asked to step into the field and share Jesus. He will lead us every single step of the way. Let us work as hard as we can as members of the “hay crew” so that none will be left in the field.

Father, right now I pray that you will send workers to the harvest. And I also ask that you will give me opportunities to share your name with the harvest, no matter where I am. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

What are some of your reasons for not sharing Jesus with the “harvest” around you?

Do those reasons for not sharing Jesus focus on the “harvest” or on you?

Apply

Before you get out of your car to go shopping, ask the Lord to show you someone specific that He wants you to share the Good News with and listen for His answer.

Strike up a conversation in the checkout line with the person behind you as you wait and casually mention how God has blessed you.

Power

Matthew 9:37 (NIV) “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”

Proverbs 10:5 (NIV) “He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”

II Timothy 1:7 (NIV) “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, Encouragement from the War Room)