Luke 10:2 “And Jesus said to them, ‘the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’”
I’ve been thinking a lot about seeds lately. It probably has to do with the beautiful scenery I’m surrounded by on a daily basis, but the above verse as well as the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-9) have come to my attention over the past week. And then, on Tuesday, we had the honor of visiting rice paddies as they were being harvested. Because rice can be harvested year round here, rice is harvested 5 times every 2 years; and, for the first time, the harvest has coincided with a WR team being here.
Our hosts explained two things that really illuminated Luke 10:2 for me. First, when it is time for the rice to be harvested, there is work for everyone; especially if neighboring plantations are ready at the same time. Crops can spoil because there are not enough workers. Secondly, harvesting is back-breaking work that must occur in the heat of the day. (I can tell you, it was HOT.) The rice must be as dry as possible when it is picked, so, the idea of getting the work done in the cool of the morning, when the plants are still covered with dew, is out. The best time to do the grueling work is when the day is hottest. Workers have to bend over and cut each individual plant by hand. This idea alone made my lower back hurt and caused me to sweat sympathetically. But here’s the thing: the workers aren’t at all miserable doing their jobs, because they are happy that there’s a job to be done and they can feed their families.
And with that, I have a deeper perspective of what Jesus meant. The time is now- I can see with the children that we’re working with that there’s much to be done, so much love that needs to be given out freely in so many different ways and so many different places. When it gets difficult, it’s time to remember that harvesting is hard work, but it’s happy work too.
