Hearts

In West Linn, we met a few different people and needs that all had to do with the heart. I am writing this journal entry a week from the date, so my memory cannot pull up the exact prayer we prayed before hand, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I had asked something of the Lord particular to ‘hearts’ with how our experience panned out. Our first encounter was with a man who was sitting alone eating his lunch. As we slowly approached him, a fence separated his table from the one we sat down at. I spoke over the fence to him:

‘Hello sir! How’s your day going?’

‘Good.’

Upon hearing that we were out ‘sharing the Love of God’, he quickly began packing up his food.

‘Get away from me!’

Despite our attempts to discourage him from feeling that he needed to move in order to get space from us, he moved to the farthest table in the food court area, watching us warily. We sat for a moment silently praying for his heart as well as spiritual breakthrough in his life.

After a short bit we got up and began slowly meandering again. The next individual we engaged with briefly was a man on his phone. “Hello sir, how are you?”

“Good.” He said, without giving too much attention.

“We’re sharing with people about Jesus.” Without looking up, he let me know he already had him. I sat and gave some space for a bit in hope of any further opportunity to engage, but he did not seem interested or was very engaged in what he was doing, so we continued on.

Nearby a lady was sitting, also engaged for a moment with her phone, but upon our greeting that we were out sharing the Love of God, she overflowed with joy.

‘I am filled with the love of God!’

‘That’s wonderful. When did you begin a relationship with Jesus?’

‘All my life, since I was a child!’

She was happy and encouraged us in continuing to share the Gospel. We asked if there was anything that we could pray for, and she offered that a young girl she knows named Amira was in OHSU awaiting a heart transplant. I asked if we could pray together, and she readily stood up and we prayed as a group for God’s provision, knowing that God ‘exchanges the lives of men’ for His people (Isaiah 43:4) and that’s what it might take for a little girl to receive a transplant—but trusting together that God uses and works out all things for the good (Romans 8:28) and prayed for healing and provision in Jesus’ name. Sara was grateful for prayer and let us know she would be praying for us.

As we continued, Segun’s son Samuel had to use the bathroom, so Segun took him inside. While holding his other son Joel (2), I greeted a couple who were waiting for their food—an older woman and possibly her adult son, letting them know their beeper for their order was going off. The older woman I asked how she was, and she shared that she was doing ok but her family was in a rough season because she was entering an ‘end-of-life’ phase, as she was recently diagnosed with heart failure due to decreased efficiency, inoperable due to her age. Despite her physical heart failing and being given 3-12 months to live, she was in generally good spirits because she was a believer, although her family was struggling with the news. I shared that we were out doing evangelism, and it was interesting how God was working today, where we just had back-to-back conversations about hearts. As the man came back with their food, wanting to be sensitive to their time together, I asked if there was anything that we could pray or keep in prayer for, to which the man seemed to dismiss but the woman accepted to be kept in prayer and appreciated our willingness (Segun was also back with Samuel now), describing that she was a Lutheran of many years of having worked in the church. We bid them farewell and continued on.

The next people we met were Spanish-speaking men who, when greeting them, both apologized saying they did not speak English and asked if we spoke Spanish. We communicated (not in Spanish) that we did not, however I was able to say ‘Jesus te ama’ and they understood. I pointed to my heart and asked ‘Do you have Jesus in your heart?’ And the older gentleman nodded and translated to his friend, (I heard the word ‘corazón’). The younger man’s beeper went off, and excused himself to get his order, and the older gentleman smiled and shared, in Spanish, that he had just been reading his Bible earlier today—I heard biblia and possibly ‘estudiar.’ As we blessed them and left, we turned behind us to connect with a young woman who was happy to see us evangelizing, sharing that she was a Christian as well. Asking if there was anything we could keep in prayer, she shared that she was discerning where to go to college, desirous to find a Christian one and one where she could play softball, and was filled with faith in God’s provision. We prayed, and asked God’s blessing of provision over her and continued on.

At this point, the man who we had met at the start—the one with a closed, hard heart—approached us, asking us why we were doing what we were doing. I told him it’s because we want to share the hope of having an eternal relationship with the living God.

“It’s not ok what you’re doing, going around pushing your beliefs on other people.” He said abrasively.

“We’re actually not pushing or being mean, we’re inviting conversation—”

“You made me had to get up and leave!”

“We really didn’t want you to have you move, we--“

“What you’re doing is not ok!” He said and holding up his finger, he turned and walked away briskly.

We stood for a moment, and mutually feeling like we ought to head back to the van, Samuel (Segun’s son) asked why the man was upset. We shared as we walked that some people will not want to hear about the love of God because their hearts are hard. We shared about the attitude of Saul before he was converted, and about the blessing promised when we’re persecuted on account of Jesus using the example of eating a little broccoli in order to secure a future mountain of dessert.

Now in the car, I reflected how fascinating it is when certain themes or commonalities come up while evangelizing, like another time when we had two back-to-back conversations with people who had just recently got out of long prison sentences and were feeling lonely, and the difference it made for very similar circumstances and experiences when Jesus resides in the heart.

Friend, what condition is your heart in right now?

Is it hardened or offended at the offer of Life? Recognize that, like a walked path, you have been 'trampled' upon and it prevents the seed the sower wants to plant in you from entering; ask the farmer for a fresh 'tilling.'

Is it distracted by the things that so easily fill our time? Understand that God will 'uproot' everything not of Him and 'weed out' all that causes sin. However much or little time remains on this earth, God promises an infinite joy to those who choose to accept the seed of the gospel into their heart and ‘produce a crop’ through perseverance.

Is it failing to produce a crop? Let 'stinking' and 'scorching' persecution enter into lesser mediums like fertilizer and reach deep into the deeper, richer soils of Christ where soothing and nourishing happens in unseen places.

Are you producing 100 times what was sown? Or 60? or 30? Rejoice that, like a sunflower, God's seed was designed to multiply in abundance. He is not sparing or unpurposed in his design. The head of a seed-laden mammoth sunflower is around 5lbs, held up by a strong stalk and firm roots that took time to develop and grow above the lesser critters who would feast on them before the seeds could be harvested. Be ready for harvest--to be felled and extracted, that, in the future, an abundant crop would grow, with exponentially more beauty than what a single flower could accomplish in a field wanting for  vibrant color.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3

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