Project 365 Day 132: Farmer

Canon 5D Mark ll, 16-35 2.8L, 3.2 aperture, 1/500 shutter, 100 ISO

It is hot. The shadow of the farmer casting long across the rows of rocky, dry soil. The red Georgia clay groans, then loosens to freedom under the grinding blades of the plow. He bends and plucks the weeds and rocks from the rows, preparing a place for the seeds he has hidden in his pocket.

I watch him from a distance, and ponder the scene in front of me. Like his father, he is a farmer at heart, faithful to come back to the earth every spring. Here he finds peace and reward, although the work is difficult. Here, he can let his mind uncoil and rest, as his hands work diligently, making agreements with the earth for harvest. Here, he sees results. Work, sow, and then reap. It is a simple formula. Work hard, tend, and gather. I can see why that feels good. It doesn’t always work this way in other areas of his life.  Sowing doesn’t always mean reaping. And yet, he continues to sow.

He cradles the seeds gently in his hands as he prepares to plant them, his wedding ring sliding to reveal how it has worn a place in his skin. He knows commitment. It is a picture of faithfulness, the dirt under his nails revealing he does not fear the grit of hard work. These hands that strum guitar strings also dig deep to plant. They are one and the same.

The seeds lay apart from one another in a row, open and vulnerable in the heat of the sun. They will be covered soon. They will die to find life. It is the farmer’s way of things. Some will sprout and be strong. Others will be choked out by weeds, crowded by rocks, or fail to grow roots deep enough. Jesus was a farmer too. (Matthew Chapter 13).

Matthew 13:23 ~ “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Psalm 90:17  ~ “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.”