Around this time seven years ago, Justin came back from another frustrating day as a night nurse’s aid, giving shelf-stable jello to patients who had just undergone abdominal surgery. We were newly married and I was weeks away from finishing my theology degree when Justin strode into our apartment after his hospital shift, threw down his backpack and declared, “I WANT TO BE A FARMER.” This statement practically knocked me over. The only thing I knew about farming was from “Little House on the Prairie“ and their farming life seemed riddled with hail storms and barn fires. I panicked, thinking that farming would be a hardscrabble, scratched-out existence.
Seven years later, among multiple jobs and career paths, farming has actually been the most abundant product of our work. This year, our third season of lambing, we’ve averaged two babies for every mama and haven’t lost a lamb yet!
As I look over our flats of garden starts I see some boxes exploding with tiny plants (I spilled the lettuce seeds🙄) and other little boxes are empty. It’s not always possible to predict what thing in our life is going to sprout and which will be more difficult.
I believe we can’t depend on the success or failure of our work to make us feel happy about our lives, because everything is in flux. Today I want to lean into the transcendent hope of a God who promises to be with me regardless of how my efforts pan out!
#deuteronomy316