Reaping the Harvest: Celebrating Stories of Transformation and Faith

Have you ever been going through life wondering if what you are doing is worth it? Ever wondered if anyone really cared? Is anything sinking into those you are teaching or trying to help?

Maybe different professions have different ways of expressing this, but we can all think of a time when this question has popped into our minds.

Recently, I was confronted with this phenomenon - not because of doubt or frustration, but because of harvest revealing itself.

In the past two weeks several things have happened:

1. A former student, who is now in med school, shared an email newsletter discussing her realization that God is the priority of her life, not med school.

2. A sixth-grade boy we have been sharing Jesus with and inviting to church for almost a year now came to Youth Group this week.

3. An eighth-grade boy told me after Upward Basketball last Saturday that he was talking to his Sunday School teacher at his church about salvation.

4. One of our ninth-grade girls at church has blossomed into a tremendous leader.

5. One seventh-grade boy that I know from substitute teaching randomly showed up at Youth Group two Wednesdays ago (turns out he has connections to people who attend our Wednesday Night Kids Ministry: Dig In)

6. Two other high school girls have been talking and praying about salvation and baptism and both are now ready to put their faith and trust in Jesus (one officially announced her decision at Youth Group two days ago).

7. Finally, I received an email from a parent affirming how God is working in his daughter through me (and our ministry).

This reminds me of two verses. Matthew chapter 9 verses 36-38:

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 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.""

and Galatians 6:7-9:

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Sometimes we just need a reminder that our work in sharing Jesus and discipling others is not in vain. We reap what we sow. You sow the Gospel. You will reap the Gospel. Are you?

Sometimes we become weary. I understand that, but we need to keep pushing on because, at the proper time, a harvest will present itself. And I love that the Galatians verse says at the end “we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Sometimes we give up too soon.

Let me encourage you to not give up, but to recalibrate your mind and your purpose by closing with this story:

A few years ago, our Upward Sports ministry doubled down and recaptured our purpose: to make Jesus known by using sports.

No longer did we focus on the sport but on the Gospel. That decision affected our process, our schedule, our tools, and our volunteers. We need the right people with the right heart.

We also doubled down on EXPECTING a harvest. It had been too long since we could identify a new family in our church because of our efforts through Upward. Many said, and will say, “Well, we’re planting seeds that will yield a harvest we may never see.”

But I couldn’t accept that.

I told our team and our church that I wanted to see some fruit NOW! It may sound greedy, obnoxious, or even like some name-it-claim-it bit, but I see it as expecting God to show up RIGHT NOW.

I want to be part of the team of laborers reaping the harvest. As we committed to this and began intentionally praying and working toward this end, the harvest has shown up through Upward and our church.

UPDATE as of November 21, 2024: 7 families (28 individuals) are now part of our church because of Upward Sports since 2021 when we made this change!

Be encouraged. Stay the course. Pray in hopeful expectation. And get ready for the HARVEST because your work is not in vain.

ARE YOU READY?

Anyway, I was just thinking…