"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 (NIV 1984)
I subscribe to a daily devotional that provides gentle reminders to think about what really matters in this life and the next. This particular passage showed up a few days ago.
Sometimes when I look out the window and see pictures like this surrounding our farm, I wonder what God had in mind for me. What am I learning, what essential part of my person is he trying to improve? What need is he meeting?
With day after day after day of rain, I'm thinking it might be along the lines of ceding control. In the spring I meticulously map out the garden including time tables of what gets started when and then when it's supposed to be transplanted outside. Of course, I've been gardening long enough to know those are targets and many variables will slightly change my plans.
This year my plans are kaput. The high tunnel has flooded twice. The outside garden has gullies in it; and for those of you who know how flat our land is, that's really saying something about the volume of water that has moved over our ground. The chickens were getting soaked daily and using up their energy to stay warm instead of gain weight, so they had to move in with the laying hens.
I'm doing everything I can within my power to care for the plants and animals we have; the rest, I just have to let go. Worry and stress never helped a plant grow or a chicken get fatter. Perhaps I can focus on lessons in how late I can get my garden to grow this fall.
The devotional author closed with this prayer:
Dear Lord, help me to realize and remember the secret to being content in all circumstances is You. Help me to be aware of Your presence in my life at all times. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
And Amen to that.
I subscribe to a daily devotional that provides gentle reminders to think about what really matters in this life and the next. This particular passage showed up a few days ago.
Sometimes when I look out the window and see pictures like this surrounding our farm, I wonder what God had in mind for me. What am I learning, what essential part of my person is he trying to improve? What need is he meeting?
With day after day after day of rain, I'm thinking it might be along the lines of ceding control. In the spring I meticulously map out the garden including time tables of what gets started when and then when it's supposed to be transplanted outside. Of course, I've been gardening long enough to know those are targets and many variables will slightly change my plans.
This year my plans are kaput. The high tunnel has flooded twice. The outside garden has gullies in it; and for those of you who know how flat our land is, that's really saying something about the volume of water that has moved over our ground. The chickens were getting soaked daily and using up their energy to stay warm instead of gain weight, so they had to move in with the laying hens.
I'm doing everything I can within my power to care for the plants and animals we have; the rest, I just have to let go. Worry and stress never helped a plant grow or a chicken get fatter. Perhaps I can focus on lessons in how late I can get my garden to grow this fall.
The devotional author closed with this prayer:
Dear Lord, help me to realize and remember the secret to being content in all circumstances is You. Help me to be aware of Your presence in my life at all times. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
And Amen to that.
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