Are You Tending the Field?

I’m a homebody. I love the comfort and security of being at home. Most evenings you can find me curled up on the couch reading a book or on my laptop writing—two of my favorite things to do.

I’m also a mom to four kids, and because I homeschool them, we spend many hours at home. When we’re not at home, we’re usually hanging out with other Christian friends. As a result, our exposure to the secular world is limited. We attend a non-denominational church, belong to a homeschool co-op held at a Catholic church, my girls participate in American Heritage Girls at a Church of Christ, my boys play soccer at a Nazarene church, I go to a Bible study that meets at a Presbyterian church, and most weeks we visit the play structure at another local church. Six different churches during the course of an average week. It’s not that I’m trying to shield my kids from the world; it’s just the nature of our lifestyle.

One thing I enjoy doing more than sitting on the couch with a good book or writing is sitting outside, basking in the sun. Last summer my family and I embarked on a new adventure—we joined a pool club. It didn’t take long, as I was sitting on the lounge chair watching my kids play in the pool, for me to realize it was going to be a different experience for us. We knew only a few families who attended this pool club, and they were hardly ever there when we were. We were around people we didn’t know well for a change, and we didn’t know if they loved Jesus.

I sat my kids down and had a pow-wow with them, explaining that most of the people we interacted with daily were Christians. However, we didn’t know many people at the pool, and we didn’t know if they were Christians or not. I recall telling them that we needed to be sure to show Jesus’s love to everyone there. The pool club was our mission field for the summer.

I watched as my children went up to kids they didn’t know and asked them to play. I watched as friendships formed. And at times I watched other kids totally ignore mine. I’m an introvert, so I struggled to connect with other moms sitting in chairs beside me. It was easier to pick up a book and read than make the effort to engage another mom.

As we were at the pool on Labor Day, watching the fireworks that signaled the end of the pool season, I wondered to myself if I had tended the field well. Sure, we joined the pool to have fun and enjoy summer, but did I share Jesus?

Did I share Jesus? That is what it comes down to, right? We are called to share Jesus with others, those we know and those we don’t, and those we sit next to at the pool.

Memorial Day is fast approaching, signaling that the pool will soon be “open for the season.” We sent in our membership dues, and we’re ready to enjoy to the fullest the brief summer Michigan grants us. This year we’re prepared to tend the field well. Sitting in a chair to relax and enjoy the sun isn’t wrong. However, come Labor Day, I want more than a good tan to show for how I spent my summer.

What is your “field” this summer? How will you tend it well?

Heather Gerwing is a homeschooling mom of four. She is a Jersey girl at heart but now lives in Michigan with her husband Jeff and their kids. Heather enjoys reading, coffee-ing, worshipping and writing. She is passionate about her family and living the full life. You can find her at heathergerwing.com.

Photograph © Joe Pizzio, used with permission