Not My Leaves

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful

but the workers are few.”

Matthew 9:37

The season of autumn is here! The world is ablaze with color reminding us of the handiwork of God and all His creation. 

Each autumn as the leaves begin to fall, I am reminded of a funny story about a neighbor we had a few years ago. We lived in a neighborhood with many beautiful trees. When the leaves fell, it was a constant battle to try to keep your yard clean. Some raked their yards daily. Others chose to let the leaves fall and blow with the wind. 

One neighbor was obsessed with not having any leaves on his lawn. He spent a great deal of time raking and bagging leaves. He would also blow many of the leaves to the street where they became a large pile. Someone stopped and asked why he was blowing some of his leaves in the street. To which he replied, “Those are not my leaves. Those are the leaves that blew in my yard from the trees of other neighbors.” What a laugh we all had about his reply.

That story made me stop and think about how we view all the people that God places in our paths. Are we willing to witness to all of them, or are we sorting through our opportunities to share the gospel story just as my neighbor was attempting to sort through the leaves in his yard? 

Our scripture reminds us that the workers that are needed are few because most people are not willing to do what God is asking them to do. Where is the harvest? Is it the people in far away lands that have not heard the gospel of Jesus Christ? Yes, but it is also right where we live—at the office, at school, at the gym, in our home, and in our neighborhood. 

Many churches post this slogan at their exit, “You are now entering your mission field.” That sums it up. Where God leads us and the people He places in our path are our harvest. 

Father, help me to see those you place in my path. Give me a willing heart to work in your field. The harvest will be great.

Janet