Guest Writer: Dave Hancock
As we have been working through this “Farm to Table” series, I have to admit that I have been really cultivating some hard personal thoughts about farming. Oh, I am not really talking about getting dirt under my nails, but more concentrated on the bushels of harvest at the end. One does not plant if they don’t expect to then reap a crop, right?
Let me share a story with you...
“You see, it was about 20 years ago, and my older brother really started to lay into me about his newfound faith and love for Jesus. As a South African black man, I didn’t see how this Jesus guy was going to help me out of my ‘situation,' and I sure didn’t need someone else to tell me how I had to live. I had dreams that didn’t involve this Jesus.
"I met a beautiful woman and we got married. We started a family and I began to build the future I wanted. My brother had now become the pastor over an intercity church in Johannesburg. I did everything I could to not give him the pleasure of “changing my life." He would always talk about praying for me, and he would not stop talking about this Jesus and what I needed to do to get my life right.
"I thought if I went to a church my brother would leave me alone. What I didn’t see coming was that my wife and children would get “saved” and want to attend my brother's church. I had to resist. Years went on and I reluctantly started to attend with them in hopes that maybe my brother would back off. However, he just kept on and on about his praying for me and my need for Jesus.
"Jump forward to “that” Sunday. I hadn’t paid any attention to what was happening this day, but apparently, we had a visiting pastor from Canada. I am not sure what the big deal was, but there he was. We don’t often get white pastors preaching in our church, so I figured I would give him a chance. I can’t really tell you what or why or how, but for the first time I was challenged to understand the value of who I am in God, and that struck home. I was encouraged to laugh at the devil when he tried to de-value me and remind me of my sins, and told that God loved me no matter how un-crisp I might look. Needless to say, I met Jesus for the first time that day.
"You should have seen my brother’s face when we got to tell our story of 20 years of praying for me and how today – of all days – I came home to Jesus. I think he was even more excited than I was.”
John 4:36-38 says:
36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
If you know my and Monica’s story then you can speculate that I was that Canadian pastor. I still don’t know who was more excited about the brother finding a new life in Jesus, the sower or the reaper. It is safe to say that the harvest took more than just one worker to complete. And for that, we can all be encouraged.
Last Sunday, we explored the call to be the harvester. Take a look around your life this week and see where you are called to sow or reap for the Kingdom!
