The Harvest is Great, but the Laborers are Few; Your Invitation to Bring the Good News of the Gospel to Those Around You.
- Leah Brix
- Sep 20
- 4 min read
Pickleball is a favorite pastime in my family. Most nights, you will find Adam and the kids engaged in an intense match, likely hollering over a bad call, like someone stepping into the kitchen or whether the ball hit the line or not. If you aren’t familiar with the sport, overhearing the conversation would be pretty hysterical!
One particular evening, mid-play, Adam stared off into the soybean field, completely oblivious of the ball whizzing past his head.
I was his teammate that night, and made a joke about him missing a ball that he usually would have easily lobbed back. But he ignored my jest and continued to peer off into the distance.
“There is something in the field!” He announced and took off running towards it!
I got freaked out, naturally assuming it was a bear or some other large predator. In my worry, I grabbed the little kids and ran inside. I climbed the flight of stairs up to my second-story bedroom window, which overlooked the field, and squinted my eyes in the direction Adam had run.
I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary! In fact, I couldn’t even see Adam. At 6’1”, he’s never hard to find. But as I continued to look out, I saw a slight glimpse of his head, which quickly disappeared. He would pop up every so often, but the beans were so thick and tall in that spot that they seemed to have swallowed him right up!
Was he getting attacked by a monster? Was there quicksand sucking his body down to a muddy grave? Should I go out and help? I didn’t… like a coward, I just waited to see what would happen.
A long 15 minutes later, he found his way back home and solemnly declared, “Spider mites.”
Several days later, I heard what sounded like the largest and most annoying insect ever! I looked out the living room window behind me and almost screamed! There was a monster drone in my backyard! Which is also the beanfield…
I ran outside to snap some pictures to send to Adam and the boys, who weren’t home at the time, and who I knew would love to get in on the drama.
And just like that, a spider mite population that could have easily devastated the entire 100-acre field in a very short amount of time was completely taken care of.
Farmers are fascinating people. Their attention to detail is incredible! Where I saw a sea of blue-green soybean plants dancing in the summer breeze, Adam noticed a tiny 5-foot spot in the middle of the field that looked just a little bit more yellow than the day before. And his quick action saved us a lot of trouble down the road.
While Adam is a superhero to me, he is still only human.
God, on the other hand, the Lord of the Harvest, is perfect. He knows His fields with perfect perception of every tiny detail.
He has told us several times in scripture that the harvest is great but the laborers are few, pray therefore the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
As the days have gone by, we have watched the emerald green leaves slowly turn yellow, then be carried away on the slightest breeze, leaving the pods exposed for harvest.
Thanks to modern machinery, we make quick work of harvesting the soybeans! But what if we had to hand-pick every pod standing in that field? What a daunting task!
But I believe Jesus’ commission in Matthew to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send more laborers was meant to be an extreme, almost impossible mission.
While you won’t find me out there hand-picking the soybeans, God has hand-picked every single person on this planet to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.
Unfortunately, so many reject His invitation! Perhaps it is because neither you nor I was brave enough to tell them the Good News of the Gospel!
Christ Has No Body
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
-St. Teresa of Avila
That means that while we certainly need to be praying for more laborers, we, the current laborers, had better get busy harvesting!
As baptized Christians, it is our obligation to share our faith with others, and by working tirelessly to this end, we may get to hear that promise, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
Until next time, your sister in Christ,
Leah
