I think I made my doctor’s day recently. I went in with my daughter for a checkup, and when I walked by the nurse’s station, the doctor and her nurses looked wide-eyed at me and said, “You’ve lost weight, haven’t you!” I was a little puzzled by their question, and darted back; “Well, didn’t you tell me to?”
Apparently, not everyone listens to doctors when they give advice—even if it’s advice about how to live longer and enjoy better health. When the doctor came into our room, she was almost giddy when we talked about how I had lost 60 pounds in the past few months and how her words inspired me to make a few changes. It made such an impact on the staff that one of the nurses asked the doctor to tell her to lose weight too, so she could start losing weight.
The reality is, I’ll bet my doctor has made the same “here’s why you should lose a few pounds” speech to countless patients over the years. And I’ll bet most of them smiled and nodded and promised to do better, but came back weighing the same—or more than the time when they were there before. So what made me different? What made her speech work for me when it didn’t’ for so many others?
I was ready. I knew I needed to lose a few pounds. I had talked about it with my wife, strategized ways to do it, considered starting to do something about it “tomorrow,” but I never actually did anything about it until my doctor sat me down and told me my life would be better off if I lost a good ten pounds. I guess I was just waiting for the right person to tell me what I already knew.
I wonder how many people I know who are in the same place spiritually that I was physically a few months ago. They know what they’re doing isn’t working, they have been thinking about makings some changes, reconnecting with Jesus or finding a church, but they haven’t actually done anything yet. They are ready, but for some reason they are waiting for someone like you or me to care about their spiritual well being enough to engage them in a conversation.
Jesus doesn't call us to force ourselves on people. He doesn't call us to shove the gospel down people's throats. He simply tells us to go to those who are ready and let them know the good news that Jesus loves them. I'll bet there is someone you rub shoulders with regularly who is ready to hear this life-altering message!
Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV) 35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
