Matthew 9:37-38 The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.
Pray Ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers
into the harvest.
October is always missions month for our church. Each week we have a
different missionary speaker. Today we had a fellow who also had a short film to
share. It was the typical missions film, full of native people from around the
world, their culture, their language, and sometimes, their poverty.
During the film there was a short segment. It showed a blind man
building a fire, which in itself was amazing. It showed him as he felt his way
through the jungle in his bare feet to find firewood.
Then the camera moved to the man's wife who was by the fire preparing
a meal. She took a large turtle, still alive, and placed it on the fire on his
back. This became a very uncomfortable scene to watch. Yes, most people in the
congregation conceded to the fact that eating the turtle was ok for that
culture. But surely someone would put the poor thing quickly to death. We
watched as the turtle came out of his shell, trying to push against the ground
with his head in hopes of turning himself upright. The heat would get to be
unbearable and he would retreat back into his shell. Then the heat would get
just as unbearable inside his shell. He would then come out and try again to upright himself so he could escape. A turtle on his back in normal situations is helpless, and often perishes because he cannot upright himself.
Eventually, and all too painfully, the turtle boiled in his shell and
died. It was agonizing to watch. There were moans from people in the
congregation. It was awful, cruel, and inhumane. I doubt there was one person
watching that didn't think that if he or she had been there at that moment, he
or she would have intervened. I, being a reptile enthusiast and having had many
snakes, turtles and other things in my home, would most certainly have
intervened.
Then the missionary asked, “What about the people by the fire?”
He said nothing more than that, but left us to our own thoughts. That hit me square in the face! All these people, including myself, were uncomfortable with what we saw. We squirmed in our seats, lumps in our throats, hoping that
"someone" would come into the scene and put the poor beast out of his
misery. But there by the fire, only two feet from the dying turtle, was a man
and woman who were perishing, facing an eternal death and an agonizing existence thereafter, and no one agonized over that. No one squirmed in discomfort. And,
this was a missions film!
There are so many times that these turtles distract us in our life. They keep
us from our mission, our purpose, and even from focusing on God's word. It might
not be as horrifying as the pre-mentioned scene, or it may be to a greater degree. It could
be our job, our hobbies, our families, and even our duties in our church. Our
burdens, whether they are health problems, family issues, finances, past
traumas, or other personal struggles, almost always become a turtle on the fire
for us. Our eyes and thoughts are mesmerized. We squirm in agony while
forgetting our mission, our faith, our purpose, and our source of Strength, our God.
It is during these times when our Heavenly Father must take our face in His hands, saying, " Look at me. Are you listening to me? Do I have your
attention?" We forget our focus. We forget that there is someone greater than
the turtle and the fire beneath him.
How many times has there been a missed opportunity to share Jesus with
a lost and dying person because the turtle on the fire has distracted us? How
many times has that discomfort hindered us? Do we think inwardly that our burden
is too heavy and requires all our thought and energy? Is that why we cannot
reach out to the dying majority, or seek God's will in our life? Do we pluck the
turtle from the earthly fire and overlook the soul that faces eternity's fire?
Do we excuse ourselves from being the"light" that shines before mankind
because our turtle is too horrifying, and we can't look away or put that sight
out of our minds?
Ask yourself today if you have turtles
that keep you from your
mission.
It may be to reach out
to your neighbor or to
shine before
your children and grandchildren.....
Our God is a God of compassion. He will make provision that will quench the
fires of life. All we need to do is keep ourselves focused, and at times this can
be the most challenging task of all....
For more reading about focusing on God in times of trouble or distracting, Weathering
The Storm
< Copy Rights Reserved To Peggy Hoffman of God's Will, God's Grace Ministries...