Sometimes I think all God asks is that we truly see who and what is before us.
And that is exactly what Jesus is doing in today’s Gospel reading
Bringing in the Harvest
Before Jesus spoke of God’s harvest, Matthew tells us something central to his ministry:
“Jesus saw the crowds and had compassion on them.”
He didn’t rush past them, or plan a support strategy.
He simply stopped, looked, and allowed their need to reach him.
Only then did He say, “The harvest is plentiful.”
Because he recognised the people were ready for his teachings,
not just as life was hard, but he recongnised their deepest spiritual needs were not being met..
The religious leaders of the day weighed them down with rules, and the Romans with political power, but neither offered much in the way of help.
And they were “harassed and helpless” — burdened, and uncared for.
Into that world Jesus stepped with compassion and authority.
Everywhere He looked, He saw real human suffering — people wounded and wandering, spiritually abandoned, socially pressured, physically hurting.
And perhaps our world today is not so different. Many — especially the young — still carry quiet burdens.
The pressure to perform and the loneliness beneath modern connection still leave many hearts weary and searching.
Yet still today, God, works quietly to heal what we cannot. Works on ripening the harvest.
And while God is doing this hidden work, He calls on us, as workers, to carry His compassion into the world.
How Can We Respond Today?
This might sound a bit daunting – to become God’s workers in the harvest – yet we already have what matters most to take on the calling.
By God’s grace, we already carry compassion, courage, hope and much more — often quite unaware of how much the world longs for these qualities.
And learning to use these holy gifts well, often begins with slowing down enough to truly recognise what God has placed within us.
A Father’s Simple Wisdom
My old dad had a simple expression whenever life needed to slow down.
He would say; “Slow down and smell the roses.”
At the time, I didn’t take this advice very seriously.
Like many, my world revolved around work and deadlines.
But as the years passed, I realised he wasn’t really talking about flowers.
In his quiet way, my father was teaching me to pay attention — to stop rushing around – long enough to notice the life God places right in front of us.
To be attentive to God’s presence in everyday moments.
And in the rhythm of the Church year, we’re given a season that invites to develop that awareness.
Ordinary Time
Ordinary Time arrives after the highs and lows of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. It’s a season that doesn’t ask for celebration or urgency.
It’s a season that invites us to pay attention to the quiet places where God meets us in the everyday.
We can choose, if we like, to receive this as a gift: a chance to slow our pace and reflect on how our faith is developing, how others encounter that in us, and how God’s grace is shaping our daily life.
This season can also be a moment to sit with our own story — to remember the small moments that shaped us, the people who helped us grow, and the faithful work of the Holy Spirit woven through it all.
And as we reflect, we may sense God nudging us toward the harvest.
God’s workers come in many shapes and sizes, so perhaps this summer is a time to consider, not only the gifts God has blessed us with – but also, where He might be placing us within the work of the harvest.
This is what it means for me today to slow down and smell the roses:
to stop long enough to notice the goodness right in front of us, and to discern the next faithful step from there.
Visit A Church Near You and learn more about Jesus from other Christians;
