“What happened to all my things?”
“I forgot them. Besides, what you had wouldn’t suit you now anyway. A farmer’s wife doesn’t wear satin and lace.” He went to the old battered trunk and opened it. He took out a bundle and brought it to her. “These will have to do for a while. I know they’re not exactly what you’re used to, but I think you’re going to find these things suit you better than anything you’ve ever worn.”
“I’ll try and take your word for it.”
He smiled slightly. “In another week or two, you’ll be up to taking on a few chores.”
Her head came up, but he was already on his way out the door. Chores? What chores did he have in mind? Milking a cow? Cooking? Maybe he would expect her to chop the firewood and tote it, along with the water from the creek. And his clothes! He would want her to was and iron. What a laugh! She was good at one thing and nothing else. He was going to have a real awakening when she started doing chores.
He came back in with an armload of firewood.
“Mister, I don’t know the first thing about what a farm wife does.”
He stacked the wood neatly. “I didn’t expect you would.”
“Then just what chores did you have in mind?”
“Cooking, washing, ironing, the garden.”
“I just told you–“
“You’re smart. You’ll learn.” He put another log on the fire. “You won’t be doing anything really heavy until you’re able, which you won’t be for another month at least.”
Really heavy? What did that mean? … “Fine, mister. I’ll do whatever you’ve got in mind. I’ll match you hour for hour, day for day since you started taking care of me.”
(from Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love)
Last month as we were planting a garden I was digging in the dirt and praying. God told me very clearly that I am a farmer’s wife. I asked him what that meant. He told me to trust Him and He would show me. He has.
In case you didn’t yet know, farming is hard. It takes a ton of work and sacrifice. Many times just living on a farm, while not actually farming, takes concerted effort.
This month my team lived on an active dairy farm that is also a boys’ home in Colombia. Getting from our house to the main building required a trek through the hilliest cow pasture I’ve yet encountered. You always had to be aware of the fences, some electric and others barbed. There was also a crazy goat who liked to escape, a dog that was a master defender, and random cows wondering about. Farm life is not simple.
But I am a farmer’s wife. I am married to the greatest farmer ever, Jesus.
Jesus is the greatest farmer because He plants seeds in, waters, waits patiently for, and harvests the most important crop: human hearts.
I am the bride of Christ which means I am a farmer’s wife. He requires that I do the same work to build the farm: His kingdom. The only way to grow the farm is follow the lead of the Master Farmer.
In order to do this I must be willing to work long hours doing hard labor instead of chasing my own desires. I must give up my own comfort and plans.
Mark 10:28-30 (VOICE)
Peter: Master, we have left everything we had to follow You.
Jesus: That is true. And those who have left their houses, their lands, their parents, or their families for My sake, and for the sake of this good news will receive all of this 100 times greater than they have in this time–houses and farms and brothers, sisters, mothers, and children, along with persecutions–and in the world to come, they will receive eternal life.
I’ve left many things behind but I get to be a part of sowing the seeds of eternal life in hearts around the world. I am more than happy with the trade off.
Farming, whether physical or spiritual, can be very dirty work. It’s messy and sometimes requires wading through poop.
Farming can also be dangerous, especially if you are uninformed. Sometimes simple actions can have far-reaching effects, both good and bad.
Isaiah 28:23-19 (VOICE)
Pay attention! Listen well;
take care to hear my words.
Does a farmer constantly plow and turn the soil to plant his seed?
No, of course not.
When he’s leveled and tilled the soil,
doesn’t he plant each seed according to its specifications?
He scatters the dill, sows the cumin, plants the wheat in rows,
puts barley and spelt where they grow best.
God instructs and directs the farmer
in how best to manage the land.
For dill isn’t threshed with a sledge,
and you don’t roll a cart over the cumin.
Dill is properly beaten free with one kind of stick,
and cumin with another.
Similarly, you have to grind grain to have flour for bread,
but you don’t grind it endlessly.
When the wheel on the cart and the horses go over the grain,
you must be careful not to crush it.
The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,
is the source of such wisdom.
His advice is wonderful.
So how do I know which hearts are dill, which are cumin, and which are wheat? I must listen to God. He is the source of all wisdom.
To sum up: I am a farmer’s wife and the only way I succeed is by relying on my Farmer.
How are you relying on the Farmer to plant, water, and harvest the best crop?
