Northern Farmer

The winds are slowing down and the sun is trying to come out even though there’s a high haze in the skies. The snow is melting slowly and the weather forecast is looking like the season temperature rise should get a small start this coming week. As of today I’m abandoning the corral area where I feed the cows silage and where they get their water. I had another cow stuck today and had to dig her out, a terrible combination of mud, manure and deep heavy snow. But that gal staggered a bit and walked away and started eating and tonight she’s no worse for the wear. I’m wore out somewhat, the mud even made it over my knee highs this afternoon and got my wool socks nice and wet. But even through it all I ain’t complaining to much because this has given us allot of moister. The weather patterns seem quite a bit different this year than in the past few years and I’m getting more and more optimistic about the coming year. These past few years the springs were so easy, even dusty when calving, but we paid for that! Because the rains never did materialize and it was nothing but disasters here. This is the way it used to be. Mud, misery, and all of that, but those years were good years now that I’m recollecting them. So, no more complaining about this.

Years ago when the growing years were good or great it didn’t mean all that much if a person wants to be truthful. because what good does good crops do when everything a person raised was basically stolen from them. That was the way of modern industrial agriculture. A person could have all the hay, full bins and a heaped silage pit, but the living was terrible. Since going more and more into direct marketing and simplifying much of the farm here we’ve had nothing but disaster droughts. But, and this is a big but, because of the changes made in raising the critters and marketing them we are able to handle these multiple disasters fairly well. That doesn’t mean we’re getting rich, because believe me we ain’t. But we were able to purchase everything needed without going into hock, and that was allot of hay bought! It would have been nice holding on to the money, but such is not the case.

Dwelling on this lately I’ve come to the conclusion that the Lord has really seen us through a big one. The bank account is shrunk down to the danger zone, but it ain’t below zero. Our clothes are good, the food is the best. The house is warm and there’s a window unit air conditioner for when summer cranks up the heat. Through it all I must say we are living the abundant life. Everything we “need”, we have, and abundantly. Our cars and pickups might look like a joke to some, but there’s not a penny owed on any of them. Plus we can have basic liability insurance on them instead of full coverage as required by law when the vehicles are in hock to a lender. Now as summer approaches the traffic around here will pick up allot. Folks from the cities and elsewhere driving their fancy pickups and suv’s, pulling trailers full of motorized toys heading to the lakes and other places. Makes us look like backwoods hillbillies in comparison. In reality though, if a person has five bucks in their pocket and no debt they’re richer than almost 85% of Americans. Those five dollars durn near put a person in the same class as any millionaire. Because what good do all them toys do a person when your in hock up to your eyeballs? About all they are good for is showing the world that you haven’t found any satisfaction with life and are still searching and there’s a good chance one will never find out what life is all about.

I write allot about our little Bible believing church and for good reason, its an important key to living an abundant life. Honestly, before going there we were not very different than the masses. It was the main key to simplifying. Throwing our trust in the Lord and being surrounded by fellow believers. The internet is OK for connecting with like minded folks but nothing replaces real flesh and blood. Nothing replaces hours of sitting around the kitchen table and talking about our Lord. Because to talk about the Lord always leads one way, to living simply and happily. A national evangelist told me in my living room that Christianity always appeals more to the poor than the well to do. The reason is I suppose is that it gives hope to an almost hopeless situation. Hopeless as far as the world is concerned anyway. Those words stuck with me these last few months. Why is it that the Gospels always comfort the poor, the down trodden, the hopeless. I read the Gospels every single day and I must say that they are totally different than most of the stuff preached today. When the kingdom is explained in the Gospels it makes me allot of sense. Of course its totally opposite of the way society operates, totally.

So when we go out to do our work on the farm do we have to do it in lockstep with the world? I’d say no. Do we have to farm and live like the world wants us to live? I don’t think so. Are we going to get rich? I doubt it and I’m certainly not concerned if we do or not. Because we are so rich right now its beyond explanation! And when its all over with someday, when we get called home to be with the Lord there’s no terror in that thought. We do our best here and when its all said and done its only just beginning. The old timers in the faith understood these simple truths. Life was hard in most cases, but they were happy and I was always fascinated with that! Listening to the old songs from years gone by, those folks worked hard, had tough times, but were happy because they knew the promises of the Gospel and they knew the final outcome. Much of this has been lost in the American church today. The only way many churches gage a persons walk with the lord is by their bank account and fancy homes and cars, (all mortgaged to the hilt, and called blessed). But I don’t see a mortgage as a blessing, but as a sometimes necessary evil to give a person a start. Something to get paid off as soon as possible so the only other necessary evil is property taxes. The Bible says that we should prosper as our soul prospers and to me that makes allot of sense. There’s not one farmer or homesteader that reads these blogs that doesn’t want to prosper, because that’s the God given dream placed in each and every one of us. We ain’t farming or homesteading to live like a bunch of rats! We’re striving to attain the abundant life. But society misses it when defining an abundant life. Nowadays it means flat out material good, he who has the most toys wins mentality. But we know that’s not it at all and that can get a person in trouble nowadays with the new modern religion. Which is no different than the most pagan culture on earth.

I look over the blogs that are like minded and smile. The pictures of their gardens, of their projects, of their food on the table. Talk about people living the abundant life! This is it! Most of these folks are struggling to attain this, working hard, many working off the place to build their dream up. People of faith and hard work just like in the days of old. A people prospering even though it may not look like it. We have our problems, each and every one of our families do. And they always will on this old earth, but these are people doing what the gospels promise. Living a life apart. It comes in stages and most of us have barely begun, but there’s no turning back no matter what is thrown our way. We have our share of problems but in all reality the world is a big problem and if we see it as the old giants of the faith seen it, you know the common dirt farmers of yesteryear, we will overcome and thrive. Might have sore backs to show for it all. Might never have many dollars, but those dollars aren’t the most important thing in the world. You know the old story about looking on your life on your deathbed. At that moment, as a person is about to cross the old Jordan, what matters most when looking back over our lives. Will it be toys or how much we acquired? I highly doubt it. It’ll be faith and family, the true riches of an abundant life. Nothing else will matter at that moment and I for one have got to start living my life on my deathbed! Living every moment and making it count for the true riches, not this worldly garbage. And all of a sudden the farm or homestead becomes a place of beauty, (even in the mud and with sore legs and tired body).

The Bible promises us an abundant life and I for one am grabbing hold of that promise! Don’t matter what the world throws at us because we know how it will be in the end, and it ain’t all that good for the world. Since starting blogging almost three years ago I have to say that this post has me more satisfied than any other post I ever wrote, even though it just rambles on. I’m calm even though we’ve sure had the storms in our life these last few years. I’m satisfied with the day the Lord has made and thankful for it too.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 12th, 2008 at 8:27 pm and is filed under Northern Farmer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.