Day 65: My Personal Harvest Worker Hall of Fame

Luke 10:1-16

New International Version (NIV)

 ¹ After this the Lord appointed seventy-two^[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

I thought and thought about what to say about this passage that hasn't already been said. And then I realized... I can't. What I can do, though, is share a personal account of a few of the few... harvest workers who are answering the call and inspiring others to do the same. Each of them are working in their own unique ways and with their own unique talents, and each of them have been a personal inspiration to me. I want to be more like them. If I had just a little bit more of each of them in me, I would be a much, much better person, and an incredible harvest worker.

I want to be more like my dear friend Whitney Burgess, who is a true prayer warrior. When I am concerned about something - anything - I know that Whit is the number one person I want to approach the throne room for me. I feel so blessed every time I get a message from her saying, "I've been praying it up for ya." (Not to mention that she takes Hebrews 13:2 more seriously than anyone I've ever known.)

I want to be more like my mother, Dianne Tays. No one will ever know how much she had done and given and sacrificed for other people. She's the very definition of service, and she has spent her life washing feet. Sometimes I feel discouraged because I know I will never be the wonderful example, encourager, and servant that she is. But I just keep trying because Brennan deserves a mother like I have.

I want to be more like Cory Collins, whose gentle spirit and positive attitude infects everyone around him. He always knows what to say and when to say it, and he never has a harsh or bitter word for anyone. His words and his life make people understand what Christianity is all about.

I want to be more like Joey Krieger and my father, Mike Tays, who give 100% every single day to the calling to which they've dedicated their lives. They give all of themselves to the children who have been placed in their care, and challenge them to be more than they ever thought they could be. I want to have that kind of focus and dedication in my own life.

I want to be more like Nicole Hagood, the sister of my heart. She has faced the trials of life with a beautiful grace and an unshakable faith. Everyone who knows her loves her, because she has a heart big enough for each one of them and it shows. She is the woman of God that I pray to one day be.

I want to be more like Anne Russell. She's the busiest person I know, but she always, always makes time for more ministry, more serving of others. She always has time for me, and I know a hundred other people who feel the same way about her. There is no limit to her giving. 

And these are only just a few of the hard, hard workers who have blessed me. What about you? Who are the harvest workers who have influenced your life? Are you the harvest worker that others can look to?