Lift up your eyes.

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” — John 4:34-35 (NKJV)

Jesus and His disciples are traveling from Judea to Galilee. Even though Jewish travelers usually avoid Samaria because of ethnic and religious bad blood, Jesus “has to” walk straight through it. (Jesus is relentlessly obedient. He’s compelled by his Father’s will- he has a divine appointment with the woman he’s about to encounter!) Everybody is tired. Everybody is hungry. (some of them are probably disgruntled). Jesus rests by a well while His disciples take off to find lunch. While they're gone, a Samaritan woman comes to draw water and Jesus offers her "living water- welling up to eternal life.(v.14)" and reveals to her that He is the long-awaited Messiah. When the disciples get back they are shocked to find Him speaking to a Samaritan woman. (because that simple act alone is subversive in like a dozen ways). The woman knows who he is now- and she leaves her water jug behind, flustered with joy, and runs to tell everyone she can think of about Jesus, the revealed messiah! The whole time the disciples are like "Jesus, LUNCH!". Jesus responds, I can only imagine in an irritated voice, “GUYS! I have food to eat that you know nothing about”. He goes on to explain:

“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Dont you have a saying, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” — John 4:34-35 (NKJV)

Fun Fact- In ancient Israel, when a grain field became overripe, the heads of the grain would dry out, bend over, and catch the bright Middle Eastern sunlight, making the field look completely white. I wonder if Jesus was telling His disciples that the spiritual harvest wasn't just ready- IT'S ALREADY WHITE... IT'S OVERRIPE- you're running late!  And some historical commentators note that Samaritans traditionally wore white linen robes. So it is possible that when Jesus said "look at the fields,” they may have been quite literally watching a visual field of white coming their way as Samaritans gathered in response to one local woman’s testimony!!!

I’m going to challenge each one of us to personally meet a need this month. My family and I are committed to meeting a request a month. We watch our budget and jump in as often as we are able, but we commit to engage with at least one need a month. When I tell you THIS is the currency I’m paid in- I’m not exhaggerating! I run on this fuel to do every other aspect of my work. I’m often struck with this feeling that for some of these families, the situation feels “over-ripe” like they are teetering on too late we get there. There’s a sense of urgency that I dont always see until I “look up”. Often I find myself wondering things like:

What if, when we provide for a CarePortal request, we thought of it like meeting one woman at the well.

What if the Living Water we offer through Christ would send a new mom excitedly into her workplace and her community to talk about Jesus to anyone who would listen!!!

What if meeting one need, at just the right time, drew many branches and generations of her family to the Lord as a result?

Check out Open Requests Here. Each post represents an opportunity to LIFT UP YOUR EYES and really impact the kingdom. SO that’s my challenge. Let’s LIFT UP OUR EYES and engage with the “woman at the well” in our neighborhood- Let’s reveal the saviour to her, and let’s watch the harvest manifest!

Lord, It is incredibly easy to walk through life with our heads down, eyes locked onto our immediate surroundings. You know the kids need attenention. You know the dishes need to get done. You know the groceries don't shop for themselves- but we confess that we spend a lot of time locking eyes with our phones...looking at our calendars and to-do lists.  We set our sights on short sighted goals like “get through to the weekend” or "survive till the next paycheck". .. But we hear your voice in John 4, just trying to shift our perspective. We hear you saying, "Lift up your eyes." Help us accept that invitation to stop looking at our limitations and start looking at the opportunities you are placing in our path! Move us from a mindset of "someday" ("there are still four months...") to a mindset of "right now" ("the fields are already white!"). Lead us to the places, people, opportunities, and moments of grace that you are placing right in front of us every day. We don't want to miss out by focusing on the wrong things or distracting oursleves with busy work! Lord. lift up our eyes to see the world as YOU sees it. Fill us with a sense of urgency that matches the task you've called us to ...and as we step out into the overripe, white harvest field, grant us the courage to speak your truth, and the joy that comes from reaping the harvest you've prepared. ~Amen