Pecans

I recently heard a young British kid on TV who was super proud of an achievement, and he shouted, “Get in there!”  That phrase has been stuck in my head ever since.

Stay with me…

I’ve never worked on a massive commercial farm, but right now we live on a property with thirty-four pecan trees. Winter is harvesting time. We recently had the trees shaken, and now the ground is covered with pecans, broken branches, and debris. The real work begins after the shaking. Everything has to be raked into piles, sifted, sorted, shucked, and separated. Only then do the good pecans make it to market.

Standing among those pecan piles has made me think about the harvest Jesus talked about in the Gospels. Matthew records it this way:

 “Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.’” (Matthew 9:36–38)

I think Jesus is saying, “it’s time to get to work, and there’s not many who will actually get in there and grind!” I think He is indirectly posing a question to his inner circle…”will you guys answer the call?”

The expansion of God’s Kingdom, the sharing of His love, and the fulfillment of the Great Commission have always been both relational and participatory. God’s plan includes us. We can’t just pray for His will to be done and then step back. He calls us to be stewards and co-laborers.  He wants us engaged in the harvest.

Those pecans are no good if they stay on the ground. God did the miraculous work of creating the trees, providing sunlight and rain, and designing an amazing system that produces fruit year after year. But after that, the harvest still requires human hands. Fruit doesn’t magically sort itself into clean, usable piles.

 Mark Batterson, a pastor and author I greatly admire and respect often quotes a sentiment attributed to Saint Augustine: “Pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you.”

God is sovereign but He has invited us into His work. We are not spectators. We are not bystanders. Those who step into the harvest experience both impact and joy. Sharing the love we’ve received isn’t optional.  It’s a mandate.  We must combine our faith with action!

So be careful not to get lazy. Don’t assume someone else will tell that family member about Christ. Don’t wait until it’s too late. And don’t assume God will “take care of it” apart from people. Very often, we are the vessels through which He cares.

When we harvest and sell pecans, those who did the work enjoy the yield. Strangers who never got on all fours, who never sifted and sorted for hours and got dirt under their fingernails, don’t. We don’t wish pecans into clean bags—we work them in there.

God doesn’t need us. He invites us.  The work is big. Someone else may step in if you don’t, and if that happens, you’ll miss the satisfaction of a good day’s work in God’s field.

Pecans and people are out there waiting.

Lions…get in there!