Out of the Wind...

Last Sunday as we headed to Chapel, the wind was blowing like crazy ... at about 50 mph.  Driving along the desert Highway 10 proved quite a challenge. Thankfully, my little PT Cruiser comes with a compass, so I don't get lost when the windblown dust makes it almost  impossible to see.  Then comes the hard part... getting out of the car. Walking into the Chapel in these extreme conditions should qualify as an Olympic sport!  I held Annabelle's hand as we fought our way across the parking lot, and I wondered why I had bothered to fix my hair.  I mean, there's not enough hairspray in the Lone Star State to withstand this kind of abuse!  But as soon as we stepped inside the doors of the Chapel, there was an immediate calm.  No more wind undoing my do; no more dust in my eyes, no more flashbacks to a scene in The Wizard of Oz.   There was only a sense of peacefulness and warmth.  As we took our seats near the back, the light of the sun filtered in through the stained glass windows to illuminate the beauty of the small sanctuary.  The Chaplain had us open our Bibles, and that's when it occurred to me.   When the circumstances of life overwhelm me, when strong winds blow... as they will... there is indeed a place where I can find peace and warmth and protection.  The Word of God is that place.  By sitting down and opening His Word, I can find a sense of peace even though the winds are raging wildly just outside the door.  I can get my bearings once again and the strength to go back out into the wind.

The Farmer's Wife...

Years ago Russ and I watched, "The Farmer's Wife" on TV. Those of you who know us won't be surprised that it was a documentary... although it was on PBS, not the History Channel.   The story chronicled the trials and travails of the Buschkoetters,  a farming family in Nebraska.   

According to the website (www.davidsutherland.com), "In scene after scene, Juanita and Darrel fight a punishing series of battles -- with the soil, with the weather, with their creditors, with the government, and with each other. Their story unfolds before our eyes, as it is happening. What emerges is an epic story of faith, perserverance, and triumph, and an indelible portrait of a real American family's struggle to hold on to their dreams and to each other."  

In Luke Chapter 8, Jesus tells what has come to be known as the Parable of the Sower.  In this particular story Jesus tells of a farmer who sows much seed.  Some falls on hardened ground; some falls on the rocks; some falls into the weeds; but some falls onto good soil, where a crop is actually produced.  And what a crop it is ... 100 times as much as was planted! Like the farmer in the parable, Buschkoetter plants MUCH seed ... year after year, and most of it doesn't produce anything but shattered dreams. Buschkoetter sees the absolute reality of 1 Corinthians 3.7, "Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything; but only God who makes things grow."  Too much rain, too little rain, possible foreclosure, the tole of working two jobs, the guilt of not being there for his wife and children, whatever the circumstances, Buschkoetter perseveres. He holds onto his dream of a bumper crop.  And in the end, he gets it!  

I wonder if I have that same level of commitment when it comes to sowing the seed which, according to Jesus, is God's Word. The soil - people.  Will I continue if, like Buschkoetter's, the results are not favorable?  Can I hold onto the dream of a bumper crop?  I must!  I must!  What else is worth committing to?