Growing up in the midwest, I was surrounded by farming communities, in Illinois, and Ohio, and even southern Ontario. Wide-open spaces with rolling hills, and fields upon fields of crops, there were beans and corn, and corn and beans… as far as the eye could see.
And even though I’ve known many, both friends and family, who enjoyed the lifestyle of rural farm life, not once did I say to myself, “I’d like to be a farmer’s wife one day.” It just wasn’t something I aspired to be.
Recently, I realized, that maybe I’ve become a farmer of sorts. It wasn’t intentional by any means… but over time, maybe the last nine or ten years, I’ve eased in to the occupation.
It all began when I received an email from a gracious mother who’s children are in my choir. Her sweet little ones move around the house, singing songs and repeating Scripture I’ve taught them. She thanked me for working with the young people of our church, teaching them things that will last a lifetime. As I read that kind mama’s words I thought about what a pleasure and a joy it is to till the soil, and sow God’s word into these fertile hearts and minds.
The position I find myself is a bit abnormal. In this role, I won’t see the gospel come to fruition later in their lives. I’m a farmer who sows without immediately reaping. And I wonder about their futures, because of my planting…
Will they be drawn to a saving knowledge of Christ? Maybe they will gain great courage from a Scripture we learned together. They might sense the nearness of His presence when they remember a song we rehearsed, right at the moment they need it most. Is it possible they would be encouraged in the darkest of nights, when they recall a hymn full of truth and grace from God’s Word? I guess I don’t know for sure. But, I can recount the times that these kinds of experiences have been reality for me -when a certain Scripture or song I learned in my childhood was come to mind.
What I know for sure: If I will continue the work of planting the seeds, I can have confidence that the Holy Spirit will finish the work that has begun as He sees fit.
With all of this in mind, I’m finding I suppose I don’t mind the idea of farming after all.
from Deuteronomy 6:
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
daily portion 