James 5:7-8 (NLT) [bible-link v=”James+5%3A7-8&version=NLT” c=”light”]
…Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Growing up as a young kid, I would frequently be on farms in western Queensland to help out as a farm hand. I have fond memories of those days. From herding cattle and sheep, to tearing around on bikes.
I always remember some of the busiest times were planting time and harvesting time. Large tractors and heavy machinery would be working around the clock to get the job done. It always amazed me how stark the contrast was between an empty paddock with seeds sitting just beneath the surface and then some months later, a field bursting with grain. It’s something I always remember.
Years later, I found myself at agricultural college studying that exact process. Sunlight, soil and moisture are the three main essentials for seeds to become a crop. But without the ingredient of time, a crop never reaches its potential or peak.
Farmers have a vision of what the harvest will look like; rows upon rows of crops ready to be slashed and cut. When they plant the seed, they plant with that vision in mind, thinking, ‘I am doing this today for what will come tomorrow’.
If we are to navigate times when trouble collides with our lives, I believe we need to adopt the same principles as these farmers. Keeping our eyes firmly fixed on the vision of what God has for us, how He is growing us, and where He is leading us, can put problems and pain into perspective.
When we keep our eyes on the vision, instead of asking, ‘Why is this happening to me?’, we start asking, ‘God, what are You doing in and through me?’.
