Right Under Your Nose

“D

o you notice anything different?”  My mom’s question caught my brother and me off guard.  A quick perusal of the room revealed nothing out of the ordinary.  There were four walls, two windows, a sofa, a chair, a coffee table, a grandmother clock, two end tables, two lamps, a television set, several pictures, and the light switch on the wall was right where it had always been.  No, everything about the room seemed normal, nothing out of the ordinary.

She couldn’t believe we didn’t’ see it and told us to take another look around the room for anything that looked out of place.  “It’s right under your nose,” she said so I immediately looked down at the floor but the carpet I walked on that morning was still securely tacked down and had been vacuumed.   Neither of us noticed the big black box sitting atop the television set and mom had to point us in the right direction.  Suddenly, the box grabbed my attention and I proudly pointed out that it hadn’t been there earlier in the day when we left for school.

Mom was relieved we saw the big box on top of the set.  She wasn’t, however, too impressed with our investigative skills but at least we wouldn’t have to visit the doctor for an eye examination.  The big box covering most of our television set was one of those new VCR’s that permitted you to record your favorite shows and play them back.  In addition, you could rent movies and you could watch them at your leisure and as many times as you wanted.  How wonderful was that?

Yes, it has been several years since the VCR burst onto the scene and the machines now have almost gone the way of the dodo.  But the VCR is not the focus of today’s devotional; our inability to notice the obvious takes center stage today.   That afternoon in our home, my mom was so excited about the new VCR that she wanted to share the good news with us.  I was so wrapped up in the enthusiasm and excitement of the moment that I got my signals crossed.  The VCR was very noticeable and should have caught my attention.  Instead, I was looking for other things in the room like furniture, carpet, paint, new drapes, etc., anything but a VCR.

Jesus had a similar experience with his disciples in Samaria near Jacob’s well.  John 4:35 gives us the brief but revealing statement about that event, “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”  This passage comes from the story of the woman at the well whom Jesus asked for a drink of water.  By the end of their discussion, Jesus had shared with her the secret of eternal life and had revealed to her that he was the long-awaited Messiah.

His disciples had gone into the village to buy food after their journey.  When they returned, they found Jesus talking with this woman but did not ask him who she was or what he had told her.  When the men offered him something to eat, Jesus refused saying he had food they knew nothing about.  Immediately, they assumed someone had given him something to eat during their absence and at this point in the conversation, they missed the big black box that should have been so obvious.

Jesus took a well-known saying and used it to make his point.  Farmers worked planting seed and once it was in the ground, they waited until the crop came in.  As Jesus stood there looking over the landscape and seeing many of the Samaritans coming to him due to this woman’s testimony, he saw an abundant crop of souls ripe for the picking.  His disciples, however, did not understand what he was saying.   Jesus told them to open their eyes, to see the work and the opportunity that was right under their noses.

Lest we be too hard on the disciples, let’s examine our own lives in light of this story.  We have opportunities every day to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.  All around us, there are people hurting, who are searching, and who just want someone to talk to them or to listen to them.  All these are opportunities for us to share Jesus Christ.  Yet sadly, we go about our daily routine, looking for just the right moment to witness to people.  All around us the field is ripe and we don’t even notice the fruit hanging on the vine.  More to the point, we believe and are searching for extraordinary opportunities and circumstances to witness for Christ.

Today, wherever you are reading this tidbit, let me assure you the opportunities are endless.  If you are at a desk, look around your office.  Your co-workers as well as the people entering your door are an opportunity.  If you are a teacher, your classroom is bursting with possibilities.  If you are a housewife, your family is your field.  If you are in business, your employees, your boss, and all the representatives from other firms and organizations that darken your door are living pieces of fruit waiting to be harvested.  If you are a pastor, a Sunday school teacher, a youth minister, a janitor, a mechanic, a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant, you name it; your field is located right under your nose.  Don’t neglect the opportunities God gives you daily to gather fruit for his kingdom.