Tractors without cabs, air conditioning, stereos or radios. Cars, pickups, and trucks with no air conditioning and not much of a heater. Up at 6 AM and work until 6 PM. Get done what you could and start all over the next day. Winter time, up early in the morning to feed the cattle and then off to school. Working on a farm was a way of life. It wasn’t easy, but you never gave it a second thought. You just did the work without question.
We had about a thousand acres of wheat land to farm and 125 head of cattle to take care of. We had alfalfa, cane, and grass for the cattle. Some 15,000 bales were put up each summer so we had feed for the cattle in the winter. We didn’t have the equipment that is available today. Bales were rectangular, weighed 50-75 pounds, and all had to be handled by hand. We would load them on a trailer and haul them to a stack to store for the winter. Hard work, yes!! But a way of life and we never questioned doing it. We had miles of fence to take care of and tended to that when it had rained and it was too wet to work in the fields. Working in the fields we sat on open tractors as the dirt swirled around us. We were never concerned about spraying for weeds or bugs and sitting in the open breathing all that in. This was back in the 50’s and 60’s. I don’t know exactly what farming is all about today, I’ve been away from it for many years now. However, I do know it has evolved with better and more efficient equipment. The work still has to be done. The work is still not easy. The work is still a way of life.
Why did I tell you all this? In 2nd Timothy 2:6, Paul encourages and admonishes us to be as hard working as a farmer. He is talking about our work in God’s kingdom. Are we as dedicated as the farmer? Are we as diligent to our work as the farmer? Are we as focused as the farmer? The work has to be done. The work isn’t always easy. The work should be a way of life.
Count your many blessings and thank God for them, through prayer and your work for Him in the Kingdom.
