A heart for witness

We often pray that clients will have listening ears and soft hearts for the message of life and salvation in Christ. But Colleen Tronson of Metro Women's Center in Crystal, MN, reflects that it's our own hearts that need to be soft toward our clients, and our own ears that need to be tuned in to their needs:

I have been reading A Retrospect (page 37; also available on Project Gutenberg) by J. Hudson Taylor, the missionary to China. He writes that he had been ministering to a man in the hospital for many weeks, and he had tried to share the Lord with the man but to no avail. He was becoming discouraged and decided that maybe by witnessing to the man he was causing the man's heart to harden to the Lord. So he decided not to continue to talk to the man and prepared to leave his hospital room without speaking of the Lord.

As he was preparing to leave the room, he thought, "Ephraim is joined to his idols, let him alone." He looked at the man, who was very surprised that Taylor had not tried to speak with him, as was his usual practice. Taylor then, with tears, started to share his heart with the man and found him open and receptive to the Lord. The man received the Lord, and Taylor was overwhelmed with joy.

While working in China, Taylor later reflected on this incident and wrote: "I have often thought since then, in connection with this case, and with the work of God generally, that 'he that goes forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.' Perhaps if there were more of that intense distress for souls that leads to tears we would see more of the results we desire. Sometimes while we are complaining of the hardness of the hearts of those we are seeking to benefit, that it may be the hardness of our own hearts, and our own feeble apprehension of the solemn reality of eternal things, that could be the true cause of our want of success."

I believe I experienced a similar event this week. I have had a heavy heart for one dear woman. I was despairing of her ever turning to the Lord, when I just decided to just pull out all the stops and pour out my heart and concern for her soul. Surprisingly, she was receptive, and I think we have made progress! In my mind and heart, I was convicted about being focused on the wrong thing: the hardness of heart, when I should be focusing on the tenderizing nature of the Word of God. Thank the Lord for this new lesson in not giving up on someone.