Ramblings of a Reluctant Farmer

My wife is out of town with the kids on a mission trip, and I stayed home to fulfill my commitment to provide for the family as an employed individual - I had to work. While she was out of town, I was assigned, not only with the task of staying employed, but I was also assigned the task to keep the gardens my wife has worked so hard to maintain... alive.

Well, I was a little worried, at first, as I am no farmer. I don't like to garden, farm, plant, play in the hay, ride horses or any of the other things associated with farms, but I do love my wife so, for her sake, I agreed to keep the gardens alive, as best as I could.

She left me simple instructions that even a child could follow, and that lowered my anxiety level, a bit, as I have been known to kill cactus before. As I waved goodbye, deep down I was hoping I could keep the gardens alive. I made myself a schedule; Monday morning I began the task of keeping the gardens alive by watering them and harvesting beans and an occasional tomato. I rose early to water and as I watered a feeling crept up inside of me... enjoyment. Aghhh! What! I can't be enjoying this task, can I? But, I was.

Each day this week I rose early to water and found myself puttering in the garden and doing little extra things. What was this? I am no gardener nor do I possess any talents in that area of expertise. As I sat on the porch this morning after my daily garden chores, I began to think about this whole idea of gardening and my enjoyment. I don't think it is the gardening that I enjoy; instead, I think it is the toil. The idea of working the land and maintaining our piece of property is paramount in my thinking right now. I sense that there is something spiritual here. Something beyond me, and something more. Something I should be doing as a created being.

I can't explain the feeling or even the thinking, but, in some strange way, it was as if I was suppose to be interacting with creation. It was the blending of work with play, the melding of what I wanted to do with what I was suppose to do. Two ideas crashed together to form calling. Is this not the Christian life? Are we not led to what we are suppose to do, which ends up being what we want to do, by our obedience to those statutes and commands of scripture? I told someone once that I think this whole idea of legalism is upside down. We worry so much about legalism, as if it is the unforgiveable sin. I get it, man's laws should never presuppose or trump God's laws, but this idea of grace has been put forth in such a way that there are some who suggest grace forbids us from following any rules, including God's rules. How then are we to walk our way through life?

This week I have followed my wife's instructions step for step out of my love for her, and those instructions, followed in love, have given me a blessing of enjoyment I might have never experienced, if left up to my own choices. This is the Christian life that I fear many are missing today as our focus, even in Christ, has turned dangerously inward. We have become so consumed with who we are and what we want that Christ has become our Teddy Bear that we hug for comfort when needed or worse, our Santa Clause that we go to when we want something that we do not have. He will not be reduced to such a trivial status. He is King, Lord and Savior, and we worship Him alone, or we worship someone else and something else.