Lessons from the Farm

I spent the better part of my growing up years (3rd - 12th grade) in small-town Hudsonville. They claim their fame as "Michigan's Salad Bowl." A lot of farming still goes on around there in the muck fields, despite the growing suburban feel. Our house was in a subdivision that was separated from a small farm by a little strip of woods. They had corn and later cows. As kids, we'd run through the corn rows and cross-country ski in the winter. In spite of these experiences with rural America, the things I managed to learn about farming up to this point are only three-fold: 

1. It perpetually smells like onions in Hudsonville, especially on a hot day.

2. If you drive by a certain spot in the right season, you can buy an enormous bag of onions for only $1.

3. Muck will always find its way into your house on a windy day, even if you keep the windows closed.

Admittedly, not a whole lot. Lately though, I've been inundated with new farming knowledge. I've got farming metaphors coming at me from all sides. In light of this interest I have in farming, I thought I would spend the next few posts sharing a few of the things that I've learned while we wait for our next CSA pick up. A lot of this is inspired by new knowledge from the farm and from the current series at Radiant Church: Roots, about maturing and becoming rooted in Christ. 

Farming takes patience!
The farming process takes a lot of up-front work before any crops are harvested. Farmers have to plant, cultivate, till, and all sorts of other verbs that I vaguely understand the meaning of. This idea of putting lots of time in before seeing any sort of reward runs counter to our tendencies as a culture to want to see results NOW. I recently joined the smart phone club, which lends itself to a growing inability to wait for anything because all information is available at my fingertips at 3G speed (except for when I'm in Grand Rapids and can use 4G). This CSA experience has the opposite effect. Every week, we have to wait and see what's ready to be harvested. It can't be rushed. I'm discovering it's not all bad to wait for things that are worthwhile. Fresh veggies are just one example. Spiritual growth is also a process that requires patience. My relationship with God doesn't come all at once. It grows and deepens over time. From the moment the seed of God's word was planted in my life, it began to grow. I can't just leave it and forget it. I have to invest the time to get to know God more, to cultivate the faith that is growing and maturing in me. The Bible talks about people who "bear fruit." Just like it takes time for plants to bring forth their harvest, it takes time for the "fruit" of my life to develop. I have to press into God and trust him to work out the process in me. 


John 15:4-5 "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."